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Egg thrower gets harassment conviction Spa salesman and accused racketeer Todd Surgeon was convicted by a jury of harassment Tuesday for egging a disgruntled client who was picketing his Medford store last year. Prosecutor Michael Thornicroft hailed the verdict as a minor victory for the First Amendment. The victim, Grants Pass landscaper Rene Pare, was angry after he lost more than $45,000 to Surgeon�s "leisure products" business, Team Americana. "My guy was simply exercising his constitutional right to picket, to warn others about the possible danger of getting involved with this kid Surgeon," Thornicroft explained. The danger, according to authorities, is that Surgeon is either an ambitious con artist or an incompetent businessman who has bilked more than $250,000 from businesses and investors through Team Americana. Surgeon, 30, relocated to the Reno area last fall after his grandiose plans of giving millions to charity via Team Americana franchises failed to materialize. He has since been indicted on felony theft and racketeering charges; trial is set for October. His conviction Tuesday stemmed from a confrontation May 5, 1999, outside his now-defunct showroom in Medford. Pare had been picketing him for days, leading to a scuffle in which a raw egg (the defendant was hosting some sort of breakfast sales event) was smashed on Pare�s upper torso and arm. The verdict capped a half-day trial. Trial judge Dan Harris immediately sentenced Surgeon to one year of unsupervised probation and a $400 fine. It was not the defendant�s first conviction. In 1994, he pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct after he was caught on camera repeatedly propositioning a minute-mart clerk. At the time, Surgeon claimed he was joking when he told the woman he was a pimp. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA