jeffrey wertkin — who was once a us justice department trial attorney

by Shannon McClure 10 min read

Jeffrey Wertkin was a trial attorney in the Civil Fraud section of the Department of Justice. In that role, Wertkin led more than 20 major corporate fraud investigations and prosecutions until leaving his post after six years to join the DC law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in April 2016.

Full Answer

What did the Department of Justice say about John Wertkin?

“Mr. Wertkin has betrayed the trust placed in him by the Department of Justice, his colleagues, and the American people,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alex Tse. “Today’s sentence hopefully restores the confidence in public servants who take an oath to serve their government and demonstrates that no one is above the law.

Who is John Wertkin?

According to his plea agreement, Wertkin, 41, of Washington, D.C., worked for the Civil Fraud Section of the Department of Justice from October 24, 2010, until April 12, 2016. During that time, he worked on qui tam actions pursuant to which the government investigated companies suspected of breaking the law.

How much did Wertkin pay for the sealed complaint?

Then, between November 30, 2016, and January 31, 2017, Wertkin engaged in multiple conversations with a representative of the corporation to negotiate the sale of the sealed complaint for $310,000.

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Who is Jeffrey Wertkin?

Tse; Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Fraud Detection Office Special Agent in Charge Lewe Sessions; and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The Honorable Maxine M. Chesney, U.S. District Judge, handed down the sentence after Wertkin pleaded guilty to the charges last November.

What did Wertkin do after his arrest?

Further, Wertkin admitted that after his arrest, he took steps in an effort to obstruct the ongoing criminal investigation. Specifically, after being released from custody, Wertkin returned to his office, purportedly to retrieve his personal belongings, and removed and destroyed documents from his office that he knew could further incriminate him. Wertkin also acknowledged he “placed two complaints in a used FedEx envelope in an attempt to make it appear that sealed complaints had been accidentally mailed to him by a DOJ employee.” Wertkin acknowledged he took these and additional other steps in an effort to corruptly obstruct the ongoing investigation and proceedings against him.

What did Wertkin do?

According to his plea agreement, Wertkin, 41, of Washington, D.C., worked for the Civil Fraud Section of the Department of Justice from October 24, 2010, until April 12, 2016. During that time, he worked on qui tam actions pursuant to which the government investigated companies suspected of breaking the law. Federal courts often order qui tam complaints “sealed” and therefore kept from public view until it is appropriate for the complaints to become public. In his plea agreement, Wertkin admitted that during the last month of his employment as a trial attorney with the Department of Justice, he began secretly reviewing and collecting sealed qui tam complaints that were not assigned to him. Further, Wertkin has admitted that after he left the Department of Justice, he used the stolen information improperly to solicit clients that were the subject of the sealed complaints. Wertkin acknowledged that in one instance, he was successful in using the information from a sealed complaint to convince the company that it was the subject of a lawsuit and to retain him as an attorney to represent it in the lawsuit. Wertkin also acknowledged he lied to the Department of Justice in documents he completed during his exit process regarding whether he stole the complaints.

What is the charge against Wertkin?

In sum, on November 1, 2017, Wertkin was charged by information with two counts of obstruction of justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1505, and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2314.

When did Wertkin sell the sealed complaint?

On November 30, 2016, Wertkin offered to sell a complaint to the corporation named in the lawsuit. Then, between November 30, 2016, and January 31, 2017, Wertkin engaged in multiple conversations with a representative of the corporation to negotiate the sale of the sealed complaint for $310,000.

Did Wertkin lie to the Department of Justice?

Wertkin also acknowledged he lied to the Department of Justice in documents he completed during his exit process regarding whether he stole the complaints. The plea agreement also describes two occasions in which Wertkin attempted to sell information to companies that were the subject of government investigations.

Another crooked Obama administration bureaucrat uncovered in 2018

Jeffrey Wertkin served as a trial attorney in the civil division of the United States Department of Justice from 2010 to April 2016. Apparently after only 6 years in the Obama administration, the Georgetown-education attorney with a Ph.D. along with his J.D. decided on a life of crime.

No surprise to learn that a Leftist looked for an easy way to begin his new career

Understand America, such is the way of the Left. And you can bet there exist many more Wertkins within the Obama administration. These scandalous bureaucrats look for the easy way out, and they will gladly sacrifice everyday Americans to do so.

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