NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mark Nordlicht, the founder of defunct hedge fund firm Platinum Partners, was found guilty on Tuesday of defrauding bondholders of an oil exploration company Platinum controlled, but cleared of charges that he defrauded investors in Platinum's hedge funds. The verdict was handed up by a jury in federal court in Brooklyn following a nine-week trial. Platinum's former co-chief investment officer, David Levy, was convicted of the same conspiracy and securities fraud charges. A third defendant, former Chief Financial Officer Joseph SanFilippo, was cleared of all charges against him.