We’ve wondered if someone on the inside of Adams and Reese was still helping Jamie Perdigao. According to the today’s Times Picayune he may have been helping himself:
Jamie Perdigao, a former partner at Adams and Reese who is awaiting trial on charges that he stole $30 million from the firm, was arrested Wednesday by federal agents on charges that he illegally hacked into the firm’s computer system, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten confirmed.
Letten said Perdigao was in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service late Wednesday. He was arrested earlier in the day by FBI agents who executed a search warrant; Letten would not divulge the address where the warrant was executed.
A written FBI complaint supporting the arrest will be filed today, Letten said.
Perdigao, who is scheduled to stand trial in December, has had a running battle with federal prosecutors, whom he has accused of a variety of conflicts of interest.
He has alleged in court documents that investigators have rebuffed his attempts to cooperate because some of his allegations could taint the U.S. attorney’s Office. In particular, he has claimed that tugboat-business owner and former casino owner Robert Guidry — the star witness against former Gov. Edwin Edwards, who is now in prison — bribed a prosecutor and others in hopes of getting a lenient sentence for himself. Perdigao used to represent Guidry in civil matters.
Perdigao has also launched a series of sensational allegations against his old law firm, many of them in a civil-racketeering suit he filed earlier this year in federal court.
In that suit, Perdigao claims that Adams and Reese was engaged in a variety of unsavory practices. When he objected, the suit claims, partners told the feds that he had stolen millions of dollars from the firm.
Sally, NAAS what are you guys hearing?
sop
Oh My!
I suppose Sally and NAAS are no different from the rest following the case – all but speechless at this turn of events.
I’m wondering if this is a recent “hacking” or if someone at A&R swore out a complaint based upon the claims made in the RICO suit that Perdigao “improperly accessed” A&R computer files shortly before he was banned from the building.
good point, as always, NAAS. Given that Judge Fallon has shown independent thinking in his recent decisions, a good point indeed.
Is computer hacking a federal crime? I wonder if he will be indicted and if these matters will be consolidated because they are so closely intertwined that both charges will require many of the same witnesses to testify.
Sounds like harassing to me. Sounds like that is the way the feds get a hold of your computer. Well, his defense information is on the computer. So you have some privilege problems that they don’t give a rats azz about.
Perdigao is no computer geek. So, how is he doing the hacking. I don’t buy it.
Another thing is that there are hundreds of Adams and Reese employees who have access to the computer system. So, do you really think they have anything on computer that they don’t have at risk for anybody that has access. Give me a break.
We shall see what develops.
One of the established protocols of the FBI is that a taint team (vulgar, I know) is supposed to go through each computer file and determine what would be privileged, work product, attorney client communications, and other files that have nothing to do with what was listed on the warrant (remember, Perdigao was an attorney who had clients, and their files should be protected, unless they are alleged to be accomplices). This is to keep the credibility of the investigating/arresting agents from becoming tainted by accessing files that are off limits.
It’s almost certain there will be some sort of challenge to this seizure by Perdigao’s legal team. They will likely raise all sorts of objections, cry foul, harassment, etc.
We’ll just have to wait to see what brought all this on just days away from the start of his trial. If it relates back to something alleged by A&R in the RICO answer or defense, I don’t think they’ll be able to wash the stink off it.
If this isn’t a bullying tactic, I will be surprised. Especially because there isn’t any information on the computer that would be worth hacking into. The evidence of wrongdoing is kept in the files — out of the computer system.
So, this is just harassment as far as I can tell.
We shall see. I hope we get a statement from the defense attorneys soon.
Maybe the feds are getting red ass about right now.
Well, this is what WWL had today —
“Perdigao was arrested Wednesday night. The 46-year-old is said to have accessed the computers of Adams and Reese on multiple occasions from Oct. 11 until Oct. 14.
The FBI says computers seized at Perdigao’s girlfriend’s home in Metairie were used to get into the law firm’s computers. ”
Well, the story does get stranger — the girlfriend’s sister is a long time employee of Adams and Reese.
“Well, the story does get stranger
Yikes, I’ve been tied up all afternoon and just now gotten back to the blog. If you recall, in the recent letter from Perdigao’s attorney, his point was that without release of the money and, if the other attorney was off the case to serve as a witness, he and Perdiago would need a continuance to prepare the case.
It struck me at the time that there might be an attempt to remove Perdigao from participating in the preparation of his case since his law license has been suspended/revoked – but this is not how I expected it to happen, that’s for sure.
Sally, what is WWL?
WWL is local Channel 4 news.
If I notice anything further, I will post it.
Thanks. I checked Pacer and the only thing added to the docket since the letter is a motion to admit the Florida attorney to assist in Perdigao’s defense on a limited basis – just to address the motion that’s up for hearing on November 5th (accounting for the money, etc.)
It may be a while before we see the affidavit(s) that support the warrant. The affidavit(s) may answer some of my questions. Assuming the news report was accurate:
What files is he alleged to have hacked?
Did the girlfriend have any knowledge of or involvment in his alleged conduct?
Was she charged or not?
Has she cooperated with authorities before his arrest?
Was her sister aware of anything, or is she simply in the wrong family at the wrong time?
Is Perdigao a frickin’ nut?
Who knows what — but I wait to know. “Access” the computer — what does that mean — hundreds of employees can access the computer. Pretty strange.
Believe me…..I’m not an A&R sympathizer by any stretch of the imagination.
But, WTF was he thinking? This really complicates his already uphill battle in both matters, civil and criminal.
I thought he had some momentum on his side with the RICO matter. I also thought the RICO matter was going to spill over into the criminal proceeding.
Even if his alleged hacking produced the smoking gun AND the shooter, he has almost insurmountable credibility problems. After this, it’s not going to be a stretch for any trier of fact to believe the charges of falsifying invoices and wiring money to Swiss banks.
His lawyers must be pissed.
The computer is not where the secrets are so it doesn’t make sense.
NAAS, I know so little about computers that these are probably far-fetched questions but here goes – could a third party actually be the hacker? someone who hacked into the A&R system by going through Perdigao’s without his even being aware? It makes no sense that he would take a risk like that after filing a motion that was IMO asking for more protection (the one where he mentioned things taken from his car, having his phone tapped, etc.)
N,
Computers are not my forte, either. But, more than one news source has now reported exactly what Sally has said – the computers were at the home of his girlfriend, and the hacking took place over a 4-day period – the last day being the 14th. He was arrested on the 15th.
My pure speculation is some sort of security program on the A&R computers detected some unauthorized access, and it was traced back to that home. The FBI may have actually watched him go into that home on the last day.
Given the history between Perdigao and Justice, I feel certain the FBI dotted every “i” and crossed every “t” they possibly could before they grabbed him.
This is such a wicked development.
While I haven’t seen Jamie Perdigao in a few years, I know him, and I know many of the people named in his RICO complaint. Based on their respective characters and method of operation, I am far more inclined to believe Jamie than any of the defendants.
If you return to Jamie’s complaint, you’ll find that he alleged that one or more of the defendant’s told him something like, “you don’t understand, the fix is already in.” From my experience with these folks, I believe that statement is accurate and is anything BUT some paranoid delusion on Jamie’s part to seek sympathy.
It has always struck me that, if Jamie were simply the grand embezzler he’s portrayed to be, he’d have simply jetted to a country with no extradition treaty with the U.S. after having secured the $30,000,000 in Swiss, Cayman, or other such bank accounts. There would be no reason for him to remain here, have his law license suspended, and subject himself to all the grief and misery he’s gone through for the last 4 years.
Instead, I’m betting he thought he’d clear his reputation once he revealed the kinds of corruption his former employer has engaged in or facilitated. They’re the ones with decades worth of connections made, and favors owed, and they’re the ones who want to destroy Jamie before he can prove in court the allegations he’s already made.
I think you sum up my general feelings on this well Mr Lobster.
I’ll add the NOLA USA office is a world apart from the rest IMHO (at least here in the south). In my experience (involving a joint case that I am familar) they didn’t play well with the other office for instance – that was back when Eddie Jordan ran the show and Jim Letten was his number 1.
I have to be careful of what I say since I have worked professionally with certain USA offices in this area – not because I’m scared of the reprecussions ( I probably ought to be based on what has happened since 2004) but because the people I knew best are highly ethical and committed legal professionals. Though our paths no longer cross I’m fairly certain they are mortified at what has happened to DoJ over the past 8 years, and especially in NOLA.
I don’t know Jamie Perdigao or Chuck Adams. But I know what Mr Perdigao is saying makes too much sense and explains in detail the whys of certain events stretching back to the Edwin Edwards prosecution.
The only thing we can do is put out the docs and hope sanity and justice prevail. I have serious doubts based on what I’ve seen thus far.
sop