Indicted Lawyer Files RICO Suit Against Former Firm
In a “sensational legal filing,” a former partner of a New Orleans law firm reportedly portrays claimed scenes from his professional life there in a manner reminiscent of a John Grisham novel.
However, the firm says fiction is indeed the correct category for the 73-page federal racketeering complaint filed Tuesday by counsel for Jamie Perdigao, reports the Times-Picayune. He was previously indicted for allegedly stealing $30 million from Adams and Reese and is now a defendant in an ongoing criminal case.
“The lawsuit filed Tuesday represents the latest episode in Perdigao’s continuing fantasy of blaming the government and our firm for his wrongdoing and lashing out at those who are holding him accountable for his actions,” the firm says in a written statement (copy provided by WDSU). It pledges full cooperation with prosecutors, and says the firm looks forward to seeing justice done in Perdigao’s upcoming criminal trial.
Perdigao’s civil complaint (PDF) against the firm “reads more like a legal thriller than a court filing,” the newspaper recounts, “portray(ing) accused thief Jamie Perdigao as a hard worker who was trying to stay within ethical boundaries while senior members of the firm pressured him into bending the rules to make money.”
Specifically, it seeks to hold the firm vicariously liable for alleged violations of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by lawyers there, who are also named as defendants. The racketeering complaint repeats some allegations Perdigao made in a previous court filing seeking a prosecutor’s recusal, contending that Perdigao provided “explosive leads to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s office that were not pursued because the leads implicated certain prosecutors and shed unflattering light on the conviction of former Gov. Edwin Edwards,” the Times-Picayune reports.
“Letten’s office said Perdigao offered no evidence to support his contention that the Edwards case’s star witness Bobby Guidry—a former Perdigao client—bribed a prosecutor and sought to bribe then-U.S. Attorney Eddie Jordan,” the article continues. “Jordan strongly denies the allegation.”
Related coverage:
Times-Picayune: “Lawyer charged with stealing $30 million wants Letten recused from case”
FBI (2007): “Federal Grand Jury Returns 59 Count Indictment Against Former Attorney”
