Report: Martha Stewart Broker Says Assistant Lied

Martha Stewart reportedly received information about insider stock sales in ImClone Systems (IMCL Quote) from the assistant to her Merrill Lynch(MER Quote) broker, the broker claims.

The Financial Times of London cited people familiar with the broker, Peter Bacanovic, who say the assistant falsely claims that he told Stewart about the selling at Bacanovic's behest.

Stewart, the design guru who heads Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia(MSO Quote), is under federal investigation for her sale in December of about 4,000 ImClone shares shortly before their price was crushed by a negative Food and Drug Administration ruling. ...