Biglaw

Biglaw Partner Pleads Guilty Over Plot To Sell Whistleblower Lawsuits

Now we come to the (legal) conclusion of his tale.

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Jeffrey Wertkin

Jeffrey Wertkin is a bit of a favorite here at Above the Law, as his story really has all the trappings of a classic. Afterall, he was a partner at Biglaw giant Akin Gump at the time of his arrest on charges that he tried to sell a whistleblower complaint to the targeted company while wearing a disguise, which included a wig. That’s a pretty spectacular story any way you slice it, but then he allegedly told the arresting agent, “My life is over.” Instant classic.

As Law.com reports:

Wertkin was charged with obstruction of justice in a criminal complaint unsealed in February. Prosecutors claimed Wertkin engaged in a months-long scheme to collect a $310,000 “consulting fee” for handing over a sealed False Claims Act lawsuit against an unnamed Sunnyvale, California, company. Posing as someone named “Dan,” Wertkin allegedly reached out to a high-ranking employee at the company by phone in November 2016, alerted the employee that a sealed lawsuit was filed against the company, and offered to provide a copy of the complaint. The company alerted the FBI shortly after Wertkin reached out.

No wonder Wertkin made it to the finals of ATL’s contest for The Worst Behaved Biglaw Partners.

Now we come to the (legal) conclusion of his tale. The now former Biglaw partner pleaded guilty yesterday to two charges of obstruction of justice and one count of transporting stolen goods across state lines. Prosecutors said they will seek 30 to 37 months of prison time when he’s sentenced March 14, 2018, though the defense will try for less time:

Wertkin’s lawyer, Cristina Arguedas of Arguedas Cassman, said Wertkin “had an honorable career for a long time and then he made a series of terrible misjudgments.”

“Now he’s doing everything he can to make it right.”

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We’ll have to wait until Judge Maxine Chesney weighs in on the issue in March.

headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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