Martha Stewart leaves prison after 5 months

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">Martha Stewart, the wealthy entrepreneur whose corporate and personal worlds were rocked last year by a felony conviction, was heading home early on Friday after spending five months at the minimum-security federal women''s prison in Alderson, West Virginia.<br /><br />Stewart left the prison in a small convoy of vehicles around 12:30 am (local time), emerging from a black SUV a half-hour later at the Greenbrier Valley Airport.Clad in jeans, high-heeled boots and a floppy grey-knit poncho over a green long-sleeved top, she briskly strode the few yards across the tarmac to a waiting private jet, accompanied by her daughter, Alexis Stewart.<br /><br />In a message posted on her website marthastewart.com, Stewart said her experience in prison "has been life altering and life affirming."<br /><br />"Someday, I hope to have the chance to talk more about all that has happened, the extraordinary people I have met here and all that I have learned," her statement said. "Right now, as you can imagine, I am thrilled to be returning to my more familiar life. My heart is filled with joy at the prospect of the warm embraces of my family, friends and colleagues. Certainly, there is no place like home."<br /><br />Once the chairman and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she had to give up both titles after she was indicted in 2003. The share price in her company, which represented the bulk of her fortune, crumbled amid the scandal and she had to settle for the title of "founder." <br /><br />Stewart will star in 2 new TV series and plans to resume writing her monthly column and working at her office, one of the few places where she can go other than her home on her 153-acre estate. She must wear a monitoring bracelet and cannot work away from home more than 48 hours a week. She will be allowed, however, to be filmed at her estate, which she bought in 2000 and was in the process of renovating when she left for Alderson. <br /><br />Stewart now also faces an SEC lawsuit for insider trading. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">NYT News Service</span></div> </div>