World IN BRIEF : BRITAIN : Maxwell’s Sons Are Cleared of Charges

Kevin and Ian Maxwell were acquitted of misusing $35 million in pension funds to prop up the crumbling financial empire of their late father, publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell. Larry Trachtenberg, an American financial advisor, was also acquitted by the jury after eight days of deliberations. The three were accused of cheating retirees of Maxwell companies by misusing stock from their pension plans. Their lawyers laid the blame on Robert Maxwell, who died mysteriously at sea in November 1991, portraying him as an unscrupulous businessman and an overbearing parent. All three men smiled broadly as they exchanged congratulations with their lawyers.