James Zimmerman, Federated Department Stores’ former chairman and chief executive, was indicted for perjury Tuesday by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
The former head of Federated pleaded not guilty to the charges, Zimmerman’s attorney Thomas Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
The perjury charge was related to testimony given during an antitrust investigation, Spitzer’s office said in a statement. The antitrust case charged Federated, May Department Stores Co. and two tableware manufacturers with conspiring to block Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. from selling Lenox and Waterford brand tableware.
During the investigation, Zimmerman repeatedly told an assistant attorney general that he never talked about Bed Bath & Beyond with anyone from Waterford, Spitzer’s office said. The indictment claims that these were false statements.
Federated, May Department Stores, Lenox Inc. and Waterford Wedgwood U.S.A. paid $2.9 million in penalties to settle that case in August 2004.
Federated said in a statement that Tuesday’s indictment was a separate legal action from the original investigation.
