Wade Cook, wife face January trial

Former stock-trading guru Wade Cook and his wife, Laura, will go on trial on charges of tax evasion next January, federal Judge Thomas Zilly ruled Friday.

Zilly said he expects the trial to last four to six weeks.

The Cooks were charged in December with tax evasion, filing false income-tax returns and obstructing the federal investigation into their financial affairs.

They are accused of not paying taxes on more than $8.9 million in royalties in 1998, 1999 and 2000. The money came from sales of books, tapes and CDs featuring Cook's controversial investment strategies.

The various charges carry maximum penalties of three to 15 years in prison and fines of $100,000 to $1 million per count.

Swedish software firm to be bought

Boeing said Friday it wants to buy Carmen Systems, a Swedish company that makes crew scheduling and logistics software for airlines and railroads.

Carmen will become part of Boeing's Jeppesen business unit, which provides electronic navigation and flight-planning information and aviation software.

Carmen said the acquisition will allow Jeppesen to apply existing technology beyond aerospace, spanning "the airline, railway and logistics as well as the marine segments."

Bekins

Moving company's ex-boss sentenced

Paul D. Bekins, 47, former president and majority stock owner of Bekins Moving and Storage in Seattle, was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court to six months of home detention, 18 months of supervised release and 300 hours of community service for filing a false tax return.

In 1998 and 1999, Bekins sold off company assets and attempted to hide more than $3.7 million in income from the sales in offshore accounts. Bekins testified in a Denver trail against his business partners in the scheme.

Chief U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik cited Bekins' extensive testimony against others in the scheme as a reason he would not sentence Bekins to prison.

House OKs shift in wine, beer sales

The state House on Thursday approved a bill that would give out-of-state wineries and brewers the right to sell directly to retailers — a privilege in-state producers already enjoy. The measure, which passed unanimously, goes to Gov. Christine Gregoire to sign. In a lawsuit brought by Issaquah-based Costco Wholesale, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman ruled in December that the state's system to import, distribute and sell wine and beer violated the Constitution's commerce clause.