Michael Potere
Remember Michael Potere, the former Dentons associate who was fired and allegedly decided to exact his revenge against the firm by threatening to leak sensitive information taken from the email account of the managing director of the firm’s Los Angeles office — i.e., information that ranged from emails between partners to the firm’s quarterly financial reports to associate reviews — to Above the Law, unless he was paid $210,000 and given an expensive piece of artwork?
This summer, Potere was arrested and indicted on charges of extortion and attempted extortion affecting interstate commerce, as well as transmitting threatening communications with intent to extort. At the time, the ex-Biglaw associate was represented by a public defender and faced up to 22 years in prison.
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As it turns out, Potere has taken a plea deal on a lesser charge to avoid spending more than two decades behind bars. The New York Law Journal has the details:
Under a plea deal, federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss an underlying indictment that included a more severe charge of extortion against Potere, which could have resulted in a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if he were convicted.
With his plea, Potere admitted to accessing confidential Dentons documents related to the firm’s finances, billing and hiring efforts, including quarterly financial reports, a list of clients and how much they owed in legal fees, confidential employment reviews of other associates and a “detailed analysis” describing lateral recruitment efforts and offers made to potential hires, according to court records.
Prior to his arrest, Potere reportedly told two partners that he felt like “people his age were getting screwed and that he might have a chance to screw back.” That didn’t work out so well, now did it? Potere tried to stand up for his generation, and now he’s getting super screwed. Oops! Never try to screw Biglaw back — the firm always wins.
Ex-Dentons Associate Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge in Law Firm Extortion Case [New York Law Journal]
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Earlier: Biglaw Associate Indicted On Felony Charges Over Plot To Extort Partners Pleads Not Guilty
Biglaw Associate Arrested Over Plot To Extort Partners
Staci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.