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Attorneys for Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg have filed a motion to dismiss the case brought by Wellsville native Paul Ceglia. Ceglia claims he and Zuckerberg entered into a contract in 2003 that entitles him to half ownership in the multi-billion-dollar social networking site. motion calls Ceglia’s case a "fraudulent shakedown," and says his s "motive was clear from day one: to extort a settlement from Facebook." The The motion also says experts found the authentic contract between Ceglia and Zuckerberg on Ceglia's own computer. In that contract, Zuckerberg agreed to do work for Ceglia on a project called StreetFax. Lawyers say the contract "says nothing about Facebook." Facebook also says its experts found overwhelming evidence that Ceglia manufactured his alleged version of the contract that he said proved his case. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Wellsville man who claims he owns half of Facebook has lost his third legal team after allegedly telling them to violate a court order. Jeffrey Lake, a San Diegolawyer whose firm represents Paul Ceglia, has filed papers in federal court in Buffalo to withdraw from the case and to ask for a three-week delay to allow a new legal team to “come up to speed.” The move comes after Facebook asked a federal judge to impose sanctions on Ceglia for failing to turn over evidence and telling his lawyers not to comply with a court order. Since filing the suit in June 2010, Ceglia has had three sets of lead counsel quit the case. At least two other law firms declined to represent Ceglia after reviewing his evidence. Ceglia claims he and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg entered into an agreement in 2003 that entitles him to half ownership of the multi-billion dollar social networking site.

Mark Zucerberg is expected to be the star witness in the government’s case against Paul Ceglia. The trial against Ceglia, who is from Wellsville, New York, is scheduled for November 17. He is charged with forgery and a number of other offenses, stemming from a 2010 civil lawsuit Ceglia filed against Zuckerberg and Facebook. Ceglia claims he had a contract with the Facebook founder that entitles him to half of the multi-billion dollar social media company. Zuckerberg has said from the beginning that he did have a contract with Ceglia, but it had nothing to do with Facebook. Assistant US Attorney Christopher Frey said in a court hearing that Zuckerberg is, “a witness that the government 100 percent knows it will be calling at trial.” The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Paul Ceglia has received some of the news he’s been waiting for. The Wellsville man claims he owns part of Facebook, but lawyers for the multi-billion company and its founder Mark Zuckerberg claim Ceglia doctored a contract he and Zuckerberg signed in 2003. Earlier this week a forensic document examiner filed a 99-page declaration in federal court in Buffalo saying the contract is authentic. James Blanco says experts for Facebook were wrong when they said evidence proves Ceglia forged the contract. Facebook attorney Orin Snyder still contends Ceglia is a fraud. Zuckerberg has said that he and Ceglia did sign a contract, but it was to work on another project that had nothing to do with Facebook. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A lawyer for Facebook says she’s not sure whether founder Mark Zuckerberg signed a contract that a Wellsville man says entitles him to 84 percent of the company. Paul Ceglia filed a sworn complaint against Facebook and Zuckerberg in state court in Allegany County on June 30. In the suit, Ceglia claims that a contract he and Zuckerberg signed in April 2003 entitles him to ownership of most of the company. During a hearing this morning in federal court in Buffalo Facebook lawyer Lisa Simpson said Zuckerberg did work for Ceglia as a computer coder, but that Ceglia’s claim is too old to pursue. During the hearing, Ceglia’s attorney produced the purported original copy of the contract.

Paul Ceglia has been indicted on federal wire fraud and mail fraud charges. The Wellsville man was charged in October, but the indictment is necessary to move ahead with the legal process. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Ceglia pleaded not guilty last month. His next court date is tomorrow in federal court in Manhattan. The indictment says Ceglia engaged in a multi-billion dollar scheme to defraud Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg, and to corrupt the federal judicial process. Ceglia is accused of doctoring a contract he had with Zuckerberg that wsa unrelated to Facebook to make it look as if he was involved in the creation of the multi-billion dollar company. He is also accused of fabricating e-mails and destroying evidence in order to support his claim. Ceglia’s latest lawyer, Dean Boland, is in federal court in Buffalo today arguing his motion to withdraw from the case. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A federal judge today ordered Paul Ceglia to hand over a confidential letter that may support Facebook’s claim that he is a fraud. The Wellsville man claims he signed a contract in 2003 with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that gives him part ownership in the multi-billion dollar company. The letter in question is from one of Ceglia’s former lawyers to another now-former lawyer reportedly telling him Ceglia’s contract with Zuckerberg is a fraud, and that’s why he was withdrawing from the case. Ceglia is on his fourth set of lawyers in the case. The judge today also fined Cegila and his current lawyer another $1,000 for not handing the letter over sooner. Ceglia is already facing tens-of-thousands of dollars in fines for contempt of court. A lawyer for Facebook says, “It’s bad enough that Ceglia is perpetuating a massive fraud on the court. His ongoing contempt makes is all the more reprehensible.” The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Paul Ceglia has pleaded not guilty to federal wire and mail fraud charges for allegedly trying to defraud Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. The Wellsville man was indicted by a federal grand jury Monday and entered the plea Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan. Ceglia’s lawyer plans to ask that the trial be moved outside of New York. Charges were filed against Ceglia in October after investigators determined he doctored evidence to support his claim that he and Zuckergerg entered into a contract that entitles him to a share of the multi-billion company. Zuckerberg has said all along that he and Ceglia had a contract, but it had nothing to do with Facebook. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Facebook wants another $42,000 in attorney fees from the Wellsville man who claims to own half of the mulit-billion dollar company. The new attorney fees are the latest request made by Facebook as part of the court-ordered sanctions against Paul Ceglia. A federal judge has already ordered Ceglia to may more than $80,000 in legal fees, court costs and fines for failure to comply with a previous court order. Ceglia’s lawsuit claims he and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg entered into a contract in 2003 that gives him a share of the social networking site. Facbook says the contract is a fraud, and that Zuckerberg did have a deal with Ceglia but it had nothing to do with Facebook. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Paul Ceglia is trying to get half ownership of Facebook, but instead of getting a share of the multi-billion company so far he’s been ordered to pay $80,000 in court costs. The Wellsville man has already paid a $5,000 fine for not complying with a court order. Now a judge has ordered him to pay Facebook $75,000 for court costs and attorney fees. The fines, costs and fees stem from Ceglia’s failure to turn over information about his personal email accounts. In the lawsuit, Ceglia claims he and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg entered into a contract in 2003 that gives him half ownership of the company. Zuckerberg acknowledges working with Ceglia on another project, but said it had nothing to do with Facebook. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Wellsville man is suing Facebook, claiming he owns 84 percent of the company. Paul Ceglia filed a lawsuit in State Supreme court saying he has a signed contract with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg from 2003 to design and develop thefacebook.com. Ceglia claims he is owed a $1,000 fee and ownership of 50 percent of Facebook, plus 1 percent for each day beyond the original terms until the site was finished. Facebook calls Ceglia claims frivolous. If Ceglia’s name sounds familiar – last year New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sued him and his wife for defrauding customers of their wood pellet business. You can read the complaint here http://1490newsblog.blogspot.com/search?q=ceglia

Lawyers for Facebook want $84,000 in legal fees from Paul Ceglia for causing delays in his case that claims he has part ownership of the $50 billion social networking site. Ceglia’s attorney says the amount is too high and asked a judge to reject that amount and come up with a figure that represents legal fees in the Buffalo area, and not New York City or Palo Alto, California, where Facebook is based. Last month, a federal judge ordered Ceglia to pay Facebook's court costs for trying to force the Wellsville man to comply with an order to provide access to his email accounts. Ceglia was also fined $5,000 for contempt. Related story: CNN: Facebook Readies for Blockbuster IPO The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Wellsville man who claims to own half of Facebook has been sanctioned by a federal judge and ordered to pay $5,000 to the court. The judge also ordered Paul Ceglia to pay for part of Facebook's attorney fees and expenses. The ruling came after Ceglia did not turn over information about his personal email accounts following a court orderin August. Ceglia claims that he and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg entered into a contract in 2003 that gives him a 50 percent interest in the multi-billion dollar social networking site. Zuckerberg has acknowledged that, while he was a student at Harvard University, he and Ceglia worked together on another Internet project and that it had nothing to do with Facebook. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Paul Ceglia has to start looking for another lawyer – again. Ohio attorney Dean Boland moved in federal court in Buffalo today to withdraw as Celglia's lawyer, but his motion doesn’t say why. It does say, however, that he does not believe Ceglia tried to defraud Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. Ceglia was arrested at his Wellsville, N.Y., home last week. Authorities say he doctored, fabricated and destroyed evidence to support his 2010 lawsuit against Facebook and Zuckerberg, which claims he is entitled to at least a 50 percent share in the multi-billion dollar company. Boland is among more than a half dozen lawyers and law firms who've represented Ceglia and then changed their minds.

A federal judge has dismissed a Wellsville man’s claims that he owns half of Facebook. Late last week Judge Richard Arcara granted the motions of Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg to dismiss claims by Paul Ceglia. In 2010 Ceglia claimed he had a contract with Zuckerberg that gave him half ownership in the multi-billion dollar company. Zuckerberg had said all along he had a contract with Ceglia but it had nothing to do with Facebook. Two years ago federal authorities charged Ceglia for altering and fabricating documents, and destroying evidence, in an attempt to defraud Facebook and Zuckerberg. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A federal judge has set Paul Ceglia’s bail at a quarter of a million dollars. Ceglia is in jail on charges of mail fraud and wire fraud in connection to the lawsuit he filed claiming he signed a contract with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that gives him at least a 50 percent share in the multi-billion company. Zuckerberg has contended all along that he did sign a contract with the Wellsville man but it had nothing to do with Facebook. Authorities say Ceglia doctored that contract to make it look as if it pertained to Facebook.

Paul Ceglia has been ordered to pay about $90,000 in attorney fees to Facebook, on top of the more than $75,000 he had previously been ordered to pay in his ongoing civil lawsuit against the multi-billion company and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. A federal judge ordered the new payment as a result of Ceglia’s last-minute cancellation of depositions Facebook had already paid its lawyers to do. He also has to pay for travel and lodging for experts that were scheduled to be deposed. The Wellsville man claims he and Zuckerberg entered into a contract in 2003 that entitles him to a 50 percent share of the company. But in October, he was charged with mail and wire fraud for allegedly doctoring documents that supported his claim. Earlier this week one of his lawyers, Dean Boland, argued in federal court his motion to be taken off the civil case. Ceglia opposed the motion, saying Facebook is pressuring Boland to withdraw. The judge hasn’t decided on the motion yet. About half a dozen lawyers...

A judge will hear arguments Tuesday from a lawyer who wants to withdraw from Paul Ceglia’s lawsuit against Facebook. A hearing is scheduled for federal court in Buffalo, where Dean Boland is expected to outline the reasons he wants out. He has not said publicly yet why he no longer wants to represent Ceglia. Boland’s request to withdraw from the civil case came just a few days after Ceglia was arrested on charges of doctoring and destroying evidence to support his claim that he is a part owner of Facebook. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Wellsville man who claims he owns half of Facebook has hired five more lawyers. Paul Ceglia's lead attorney, Dean Boland, says the addition of three attorneys from the New York City firm of Milberg LLP, along with attorneys Peter Skivington of Geneseo and Robert Calihan of Rochester should be seen as an indication of the strength of the case. Ceglia is suing Facebook and founder Mark Zuckerberg, claiming a contract he signed with Zuckerberg in 2003 entitles him to half of the multi-billion dollar social networking site. Lawyers for Facebook say the contract is fake. Zuckerbreg says he did have a deal with Ceglia, but it had nothing to do with Facebook. A scheduling conference is set for April 4. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

There’s a dramatic twist in the case of Paul Ceglia vs. Facebook. Ceglia has been arrested on federal charges for trying to defraud the multi-billion dollar company and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. Authorities say the Wellsville man doctored, fabricated and destroyed evidence to support a 2010 lawsuit he filed, claiming he is entitled to at least a 50 percent interest in Facebook. Ceglia is charged with mail fraud and wire fraud for allegedly replacing a page of a contract he did sign with Zuckerberg to make it look as if the document pertained to Facebook, when it actually involved work on another project. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947