No one could make this stuff up; so, adding to the Perdigao Puzzle, are four new items on the docket – including the Second Superseding Indictment that NAAS mentioned in comment – along with this from the ABA Journal: Ex-Partner May Plead in Fraud Case Over Alleged $30M La Law Firm Theft.
A news agency is reporting that James Perdigao…is expected to plead guilty.”Court records show that former Adams and Reese law partner James Perdigao has a change-of-plea hearing scheduled for Friday,” reports the Associated Press. However, his legal counsel and a spokesman for the local U.S. Attorney, Jim Letten, did not comment…
At a hearing Monday, an FBI agent testified that Perdigao has continued accessing the Adams and Reese system ever since he was fired in 2004. He filed a racketeering suit against Adams and Reese earlier this year which the law firm says is baseless. It contends that the firm trumped up the theft claim after he refused to go along with unsavory practices.
Meanwhile, a federal magistrate revoked Perdigao’s $2 million bond on Monday, based in part on new claims that he hacked into the law firm’s computers earlier this month…Those claims resulted in a grand jury indictment yesterday, the AP notes…I
In that case, Perdigao is accused of stealing confidential correspondence between the firm, prosecutors and the FBI, as well as bills and records… (emphasis added)
The irony of scheduling Perdigao’s change of plea hearing on October 31st, is not lost – Perdigao versus the saints starting at 11:00am tomorrow before Judge Fallon.
The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems…The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows’ Eve as it is the eve of All Hallows’ Day which is now also known as All Saints Day.
In the interest of your time and mine, here’s the second-superseding-indictment– and a h/t to NAAS for his help.
All of the evil revealed in the allegations he made about the USA, his former law partners and others – and a Halloween hearing for the case.
Update:
Sop here, on the eve of tomorrow’s expected plea I’ll add some speculation about one possible behind the scenes scenario. If it is too wacky I hope Sally, NAAS or Rick will set me straight but it ties things together in my mind, especially a recent anonymous communication with us on slabbed.
If there is one person the feds really want in New Orleans it is soon to be re-elected crook Dollar Bill Jefferson. Our readers may recall one of the key allegations levied by Jamie Perdigao involved his client and star Edwin Edwards prosecution witness Robert Guidry bribing Dollar Bill so he would intercede with Eddie Jordan in his sentencing. Nowdy noted a few days ago about new lawyers being enrolled on behalf of the Government in Perdigao’s case. It could be the deal was cut with DoJ DC Public Integrity with Letten out of the loop.
Again a disclaimer that the above is 30% interpreted data and 70% conjecture. But as I roll this thing around in my mind it is the only plausible explanation I can think of that explains all the recent events, including one thing I have the privlege of knowing on a confidential basis that I can not disclose.
Sally, NAAS, Rick, shoot me down if this is too wacked out. – sop
UPDATE: A little more about what will take place today in New Orleans from Friday’s Times Picayune.
Former Adams and Reese law partner Jamie Perdigao appears to have struck a deal with the federal government to plead guilty in the long-running and lurid case against him, in which he stands accused of stealing $30 million from his former employer and stashing the bulk of it in a Swiss bank account.
Court documents show Perdigao is scheduled to be in federal magistrate court in New Orleans today at 10 a.m. to enter a plea to a revised indictment returned by a grand jury this week. He will be limited to pleading innocent there because federal law does not allow magistrate judges to take guilty pleas to felony charges.
But Perdigao, 46, will be under no such constraint when he appears before U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon an hour later for what court records describe as a change of plea hearing. As the name suggests, such hearings almost invariably indicate that a defendant has decided to plead guilty.
Neither U.S. Attorney Jim Letten nor Perdigao attorney William Wessel would comment Thursday about specific charges to which Perdigao might enter a guilty plea.
A plea deal would likely bring to a close one of the stranger legal dramas to hit the federal docket in recent years…
Strange it is; but, as you can see from comments on this and other posts, no one here thinks a plea deal will bring closure for years.
Happy Halloween Everybody!!!
Thanks, Sop, interesting “tag on” and if I followed your thinking correctly, it makes a lot of sense to me…what doesn’t make sense is someone not taking a hard look at all of Perdigao’s evidence – also, no mention of “taint team” did you notice.
You know what I’m thinking Nowdy. It explains everything.
If this case makes it to DC all bets are off on what happens to A&R.
I’m content to hide, watch and see if it unfolds that way.
sop
SOP — beats me — I always thought that suggesting that the bribe happened outraged the U.S. Attorneys.
However, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the documents collected by Perdigao revealed collusion between A&R and the U.S. Attorneys.
I really can’t say. I am wondering what is coming — what information Perdigao had that may get him a deal he couldn’t refuse. He may plea tomorrow and then the sentencing will be some time in the future after providing information.
This is all speculation on my part. I have no clue.
And there is something strange going on — there probably was an insider at A&R providing info. What other password was used besides Henry’s to access the A&R system.
We may never know.
Was that Mark’s computer that was supposedly stolen?
I don’t know how any of this can tie into the charges that Jefferson is presently being tried for — it would not be relevant to his present trial.
I am thinking that Perdigao had information that may not be being ignored any longer — and maybe he is getting his deal.
Only speculation.
As much as I’ve learned since joining Sop on SLABBED, Sally, and not just about this case but all the issues/cases we cover, I’m constantly struck by how much I don’t know – from Scruggs side of the story about the “bribe” to all the various documents that have been “sealed” in these Katrina cases.
I suspect you’re right about inside help at A&R and that it might be more than one person. By all accounts Perdigao was well liked and it’s a big firm with only a small group involved in what Perdigao cited in his RICO complaint. IMO, that leaves a lot of people who might want to help Perdigao if they believe he was wronged, particularly any who pay their own parking tickets.
Usually people look out for themselves and they are not interested in what happens to anybody else. If something is going on, they don’t know about it and they don’t want to know about it.
It is really strange that attorneys are going into business with their clients — Guidry, et al/Vosbein, et al — and the attorneys at the firm don’t raise an eyebrow. No, because they are going to get a cut of the gaming industry. Do you think the attorneys at the firm thought it was strange that Guidry got to keep the license even after bribing the Governor for it? You bet. Did they care? No. They got the gaming industry business.
Do the attorneys know that there is something strange going on with the billing for the gaming industry. “Don’t go in those files.” You bet. Do they care? No. They got the gaming industry business.
Time and time again, there were fictional walls going up. Nobody cares. It is Louisiana. Who is going to stop them?
No. I really don’t think there are righteous attorneys at the firm who care what happens to Perdigao. Now, would there be attorneys at the firm who would love to get rid of a layer of partners. You bet. Because control for a piece of the pie is what they want. That is all. Who can they group with to control what piece of pie they can get. That is all.
There may be some unknown reason why someone at A&R might have helped Perdigao but the motive had to be self-interest.
Well, we shall see what happens next. Maybe the documents were revealing and not even the U.S. Attorneys office could keep a lid on it.
If I’m an A&R partner of any length of time, I want an audit of all the books. Somebody in the firm withdrew $30 million dollars right under our noses, and nobody knew? How confident can I be in the accounting over the past few years that determined my profit sharing?
My personal theory is Perdigao told the USA many things, but didn’t have the documents to back it up. Because his deal with the USA fell apart, he became frustrated and started “acquiring” documents.
Now, he couldn’t just drop them in the lap of the USA because they were not supposed to be in his possession. The RICO suit is a way to do that.
A pointed RICO complaint is drafted with the documents serving as his template. He still needed to legitimize the documents, or get legitimate copies.
As the new indictment points out, detailed and pointed subpoenas are prepared seeking the same documents now found to exist on his computers.
He gets busted trying to get more documents.
When he acquired the documents, he wasn’t an agent for the government. In the course of nabbing him, the government potentially discovers evidence of wrongdoing by others (at this point, we only have Perdigao’s interpretation and theories of what the documents “prove”).
It would seem to me that any state and federal authority in any jurisdiction where the alleged transactions took place would be able to use the documents on the computers to prosecute any wrongdoing (assuming there is any) revealed in those documents.
We may still be seeing the outfall from this for years to come.
Perdigao may be an idiot savant.
Bingo Sally.
sop
Perdiago pleads guilty, his parents don’t lose their homes. It is quite simple.
Maybe. The bond was revoked but I don’t remember the money being forfeited. Pleas are supposed to be made freely — not coercively. There would be no plea in exchange for his parent’s money.
Forfeiture is addressed in the second superseding indictment – I got the idea they were just putting everything on his tab.
Otherwise, Sally, your memory is correct. Bond was revoked but the decision about forfeiture was to be made later by Judge Fallon.
FatBottom, nothing about this case is in any way simple.
I think people are watching today. Such a Halloween.
Judging from the way the hit o’ meter is spinning there are people watching Sally – alot of people watching.
sop
Gee, not just me today.
No, but we surely are glad you don’t just watch. In fact, I tried to email you a thank you yesterday but it came back.
Sorry about that. That is as tricky as I get.
not a problem, just wanted you to know that your comments and insight are appreciated and don’t mind others knowing.
“Perdigao may be an idiot savant.”
Sally – according to Jim Letten, he’s just stupid.
Perdigao sure did make Letten enraged.
Whatever else Jamie may be, stupid is not anywhere in the universe of accurate. Letten is understandably pissed off, as he had the squeaky-clean image of his office questioned by some of Jamie’s allegations. It remains to be seen whether any of those allegations are true.
But based on knowing a number of the people named as defendants in the RICO suit, I am quite willing to believe Jamie’s allegations. The alleged speech and acts are perfectly in line with the character and practices of those named.
So, Lobster Roll, what happens now? Letten doesn’t even want Perdigao’s attorneys to have access to the documents- he made that point at the end of his supplemental motion today – right after a list of evidence that included his name. It’s a strange world full of lumpy carpets because so much is swept under them.