Woman to change not guilty plea in pyramid case

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Court records indicate one of three Connecticut women charged with participating in a "gifting tables" pyramid scheme plans to change her not guilty plea.

Bettejane Hopkins of Essex is scheduled to appear Oct. 9 in U.S. District Court in Hartford for a change of plea hearing. A message left Wednesday with her attorney was not immediately returned.

Hopkins, Donna Bello and Jill Platt, both of Guilford, were indicted on charges including wire fraud and filing false tax returns. The women pleaded not guilty in May.

To join a gifting table, new participants must pay a $5,000 gift to the person occupying the "dessert" position at the top of the pyramid. Participants move through the pyramid from the bottom row, called "appetizers," to the top by recruiting additional women to join.