Article
Lawyer: Sarbanes-Oxley Misused Against Me
Posted May 7, 2007, 10:40 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A Greenwich, Conn., lawyer charged with destroying evidence under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act says he has a clear conscience.
Prosecutors claim Philip Russell destroyed a computer containing child pornography, owned by the music director for a church he represented, the Greenwich Time reports. He has pleaded not guilty to destruction of evidence and obstruction of justice.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed as part of a crackdown on corporate wrongdoing, bars the destruction of evidence “in contemplation” of a federal investigation. Russell argues the law applies to business records and was not intended to apply to contraband, such as illegal drugs, weapons and pornography.
“The law does not require a gym coach to keep a beer can he finds on a school bus," Russell told the newspaper. "I have a clear conscience, the support of my family, and the legal community, which has genuinely rallied to my support."