In the court of public opinion, Countrywide Financial Corp. co-founder Angelo Mozilo is the chief villain in the mortgage crisis that has crippled the economy.

But, even with arrows in his back from politicians and pundits and an outraged public, he could still ride into the sunset mostly unscathed, several prosecutors and other legal experts say.

The sheer volume and complexity of the cases against Mozilo open opportunities for shrewd legal maneuvering. He could use the federal and state courts against each other to stall the cases that could be the most damaging and to gain information about a looming criminal case.

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