Lloyd Blankfein’s Very Well-Qualifed Attorney
It isn’t clear precisely why [Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd] Blankfein hired Reid Weingarten, who focuses his practice on white-collar criminal defense.
–“Goldman Officers Lawyer Up“; The Wall Street Journal (8/23/2011)
It “isn’t clear” why Blankfein hired his own counsel? Really??
After countless allegations of corporate fraud, misrepresentation, self-dealing, front-running, perjury and other illegal — not to say immoral — behavior dating back to at least 2006?
And that’s just in connection with mortgage-backed securities.
But what really caught my eye was Mr. Weingarten’s resumè:
In his law-firm biography, Mr. Weingarten is described as having a practice that includes “complex criminal matters in both state and federal courts,” including cases involving public corruption, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, bank fraud, bribery, government procurement fraud, antitrust, health-care fraud, and tax and securities fraud.
Yup, I think that about covers Mr. Blankfein’s potential exposure.
P.S.: Goldman shareholders are picking up Mr. Blankfein’s legal tab (‘natch).
