Ruthann Aron
Encyclopedia
Ruthann Greenzweig Aron is a former politician and real estate developer who ran unsuccessfully for the 1994 Republican U.S. Senate nomination from Maryland. A member of the Montgomery County
Planning Board, she lost the nomination to former Tennessee Senator Bill Brock
, who was in turn defeated by incumbent Paul Sarbanes
. After Brock lost to Sarbanes, Aron sued Brock for slander based on comments he made about her during the primary campaign. (He said at a September 1994 press conference, "[Aron] has been convicted by jury of fraud, more than once." Juries ruled against Aron in two civil lawsuits in which former business partners accused her of fraud or other offenses. A federal judge overturned one of the verdicts, and Aron settled both suits out of court after agreeing to pay about $175,000 in each case. Aron cited Brock's use of the term "convicted" for verdicts that had come in civil court.) A lawyer named Arthur Kahn testified against Aron at the February 1996 trial, which Aron lost. It was the first time a losing federal candidate was able to get the winner into court over words spoken in a campaign.
Aron was arrested in June 1997 for trying to hire a hitman
(an undercover police officer) to murder
both her husband and Kahn. She was ousted from the Planning Board in August 1997. At the time of her arrest, she was planning to run, as a Democrat, for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council. In her first trial, she used nine psychiatrists/psychologists to argue that a brain injury and her childhood abuse had rendered her incapable of realizing that what she was doing was illegal. One juror held out on her behalf, and a mistrial was declared. In July 1998, Aron pleaded no contest
, and in November 1998 she was sentenced to two consecutive 18-month prison sentences. She was released in 2001 and moved to New York to be closer to her son, Joshua. On September 11, 2001, Joshua lost his life in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center
. Aron still lives in New York City
.
In 2004, Aron's case was profiled on the Oxygen Network series Snapped
, which profiles female criminals, and also on the truTV series Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice
. In 2006, her case was profiled in an episode of City Confidential
.
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
Planning Board, she lost the nomination to former Tennessee Senator Bill Brock
Bill Brock
William Emerson "Bill" Brock III is a former Republican United States senator from Tennessee, having served from 1971 to 1977. He is the grandson of William Emerson Brock I, who was a Democratic U.S. senator from Tennessee from 1929 to 1931.-Early life and career:Brock was a native of Chattanooga,...
, who was in turn defeated by incumbent Paul Sarbanes
Paul Sarbanes
Paul Spyros Sarbanes , a Democrat, is a former United States Senator who represented the state of Maryland. Sarbanes was the longest-serving senator in Maryland history, having served from 1977 until 2007. He did not seek re-election in 2006, when he was succeeded by fellow Democrat Ben Cardin...
. After Brock lost to Sarbanes, Aron sued Brock for slander based on comments he made about her during the primary campaign. (He said at a September 1994 press conference, "[Aron] has been convicted by jury of fraud, more than once." Juries ruled against Aron in two civil lawsuits in which former business partners accused her of fraud or other offenses. A federal judge overturned one of the verdicts, and Aron settled both suits out of court after agreeing to pay about $175,000 in each case. Aron cited Brock's use of the term "convicted" for verdicts that had come in civil court.) A lawyer named Arthur Kahn testified against Aron at the February 1996 trial, which Aron lost. It was the first time a losing federal candidate was able to get the winner into court over words spoken in a campaign.
Aron was arrested in June 1997 for trying to hire a hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
(an undercover police officer) to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
both her husband and Kahn. She was ousted from the Planning Board in August 1997. At the time of her arrest, she was planning to run, as a Democrat, for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council. In her first trial, she used nine psychiatrists/psychologists to argue that a brain injury and her childhood abuse had rendered her incapable of realizing that what she was doing was illegal. One juror held out on her behalf, and a mistrial was declared. In July 1998, Aron pleaded no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
, and in November 1998 she was sentenced to two consecutive 18-month prison sentences. She was released in 2001 and moved to New York to be closer to her son, Joshua. On September 11, 2001, Joshua lost his life in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. Aron still lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 2004, Aron's case was profiled on the Oxygen Network series Snapped
Snapped
Snapped is an American true crime television series that airs on the Oxygen Network. Snapped debuted on August 6, 2004 and is produced in conjunction with Jupiter Entertainment.-Synopsis:...
, which profiles female criminals, and also on the truTV series Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice
Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice
Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice was an American crime TV series that examined real-life cases of crime, passion, and greed involving privileged or famous people. The episodes were shown on truTV and on Star TV in Canada as well as Zone Reality in Europe and Bio. in Australia. The...
. In 2006, her case was profiled in an episode of City Confidential
City Confidential
City Confidential is an American documentary television show, transmitted on the A&E Network, which singled out a community during each episode and investigated a crime that had occurred there. Rather than being a straighforward procedural, the installments began by focusing on the history and...
.