Lawyer''s Offstage Acts Threaten Record Pact - Nasdaq
The 49-year-old drove a Bentley Continental "Flying Spur" sedan and favored Hermes handbags. But when federal agents showed up at her New Jersey home three days before Christmas, they kicked off a chain of events that could send her to prison and scuttle the biggest antitrust settlement in U. S. history. It is a stunning downfall for Ms. Ravelo, who until late last year was a partner at global law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where her primary client was MasterCard Inc. The agents alleged that Ms. Ravelo and her husband bilked MasterCard, Willkie Farr and another law firm out of more than $5 million by setting up fake vendors and filing sham invoices for legal services. As part of its investigation into the alleged theft, court records allege that Willkie Farr subsequently discovered that Ms. Ravelo had received confidential information via emails from an opposing lawyer working on two major antitrust lawsuits... The lawyer, Gary Friedman, was a longtime friend and former colleague of Ms. Ravelo's, according to court records. On Tuesday, lawyers on both sides will file court documents arguing whether the settlement should be unraveled because of the two lawyers' behind-the-scenes actions. Among their arguments: They said Ms. Ravelo was never a key player in the. Source: www.nasdaq.com
