There seems to be no end to the controversy surrounding the trial of former Swedish video games executive and ex-mafia boss, Stefan Eriksson. You may remember that he was originally arrested for drag racing one of his two Ferrari Enzos with a McLaren SLR that he also owned but was registered with his estranged wife. In addition to the drink driving charges, Eriksson was also charged with car theft, embezzlement and illegal weapons possession.
Now he has pleaded no contest (equivalent to admitting guilty in California) to the drink driving charges, but not guilty to the remaining charges stemming from the 160mph crash back in February along the Pacific Coast Highway. Eriksson’s past is littered with other charges from his time in Sweden including convictions for assault, forgery and fraud as well as running the Gizmondo video games company into bankruptcy with more than $200 million in debt.
The two Ferraris and McLaren were reported as stolen by British finance groups as well as illegally imported into the US in violation of a lease agreement. Eriksson initially told police the car was being driven by a mystery man called Dietrich, but later he admitted that it was a lie. If you're thinking this reads like something out of a movie script, then you're not alone. We’ll keep you posted on how the events turn out.
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