A former brokerage assistant who helped Martha Stewart make her fateful stock trade and later emerged as a key government witness against the homemaking expert was fined €1,800 but spared both prison and probation today for accepting a payoff during the government’s investigation.

US “domestic goddess” Martha Stewart has been convicted of obstructing justice and lying to the US government about why she unloaded her stock in a biotech company just before the price plummeted.

MARTHA STEWART was convicted last night of obstructing justice and lying to the US government about a superbly-timed stock sale — a devastating verdict that probably means prison for the woman who epitomises meticulous homemaking and gracious living.

A young brokerage assistant testified that his boss ordered him to pass a secret tip to Martha Stewart that led the style guru to trigger her well-timed sale of shares.

Martha Stewart, the creative force behind what was once a billion dollar empire of domestic “good things,” is due in court in New York tomorrow to face trial on charges she lied about a well-timed share sale that saved her €40,400.