Greenberg Traurig Settles Guam Case Over Jack Abramoff Matter
An indictment in Guam against Greenberg Traurig that arose from alleged misconduct by the law firm’s former lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, has been resolved with a civil settlement and dismissed.
“We are pleased to announce that the Superior Court in Guam dismissed all charges against the firm today,” writes a firm spokeswoman, Jill Perry, in an e-mail to ABAJournal.com, noting that Greenberg Traurig asked Abramoff to leave the firm over four years ago.
“As part of a civil settlement, the firm has agreed to refund the Guam Judiciary $324,000 in fees that were paid as part of Abramoff’s representation,” writes Perry, who is Greenberg’s director of marketing and communications. “The firm has also agreed to continue to cooperate fully with the Office of the Attorney General on this matter, as it has done in the past with all other investigations of Mr. Abramoff’s conduct while at our firm.
“We are grateful that the Attorney General’s office recognizes our cooperation with this investigation. The firm appreciates the responsiveness and professionalism that the Office of the Attorney General has demonstrated in dealing with this matter,” Perry’s e-mail concludes.
The attorney general’s dismissal motion (PDF) in the Guam superior court case confirms the settlement and notes that “Greenberg has cooperated with the Office of the Attorney General in providing documents and other information relating to the activities of Jack Abramoff and other defendants … . This cooperation, which Greenberg has pledged in writing to continue to provide, has been and will be of great assistance to the People in prosecuting the charges against the other defendants.”
The motion also notes that the law firm “self-reported the transgressions of Mr. Abramoff to the Department of Justice when it first became aware of his illegal activities.”
As discussed in earlier ABAJournal.com posts, the law firm was indicted by the U.S. territory last month over what a former prosecutor described as an illegal billing scheme involving Abramoff, under a lobbying contract with Guam’s superior court.
“Abramoff, who was at the center of a Washington corruption probe, is serving a federal prison sentence for a fraudulent loan deal to buy a fleet of South Florida gambling ships,” notes a Miami Herald article about today’s dismissal of the indictment.
