Ex-DOJ Counsel Sentenced for Shakedown Scam with Whistleblower Files
A former corporate-fraud prosecutor guilty of out the “most serious” public corruption by a U.S. Department of Justice attorney in years has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison on two counts of obstructing justice and one count of interstate transport of stolen property, The Washington Post reports.
The former prosecutor and former Akin Gump partner stole more than 40 whistleblower fraud cases in 2016 and tried to sell the secret information to companies under federal investigation, prosecutors said.
Reporter Spencer S. Hsu explains: “The scheme was an attempt to woo potential clients and increase his earnings and standing in his new role as a defense lawyer for one of Washington’s most influential law firms, according to prosecutors and admissions by Jeffrey Wertkin at his sentencing Wednesday.”