A prominent Washington, DC, lawyer who once worked for the Justice Department donned a wig to disguise himself while illegally selling a copy of a sealed lawsuit for more than $300,000 — and then whined that his “life is over” when he was nabbed by FBI agents.
Jeffrey Wertkin — who was once a US Justice Department trial attorney — was arrested Jan. 31 in a hotel lobby in Cupertino, Calif., where he sold the secret court documents to an undercover agent, according to a complaint filed in California federal court.
“My life is over,” the wig-wearing Wertkin told the arresting officer, court papers say.
Wertkin got his hands on the civil complaint that was filed under seal against a technology security company headquartered in Sunnyvale and then solicited an employee there in November to buy the complaint.
The unidentified company was accused of defrauding the government under the False Claims Act, which permits whistleblowers to file a lawsuit against the company on behalf of the feds.
Using the name “Dan,” Wertkin snail-mailed the employee the first page of the complaint to prove it had been filed and promised to send the rest once he got paid a $300,000 “consulting fee,” court papers say.
Wertkin — then a partner at law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in DC — told the worker it was in his best interest to buy the complaint so the company could get ahead of the probe.
“Dan mentioned that the government might be investigating the company and that it was valuable to the company to have the sealed complaint in advance,” court papers say.
The employee agreed to send a colleague named “Bill” — actually an undercover agent — to meet Wertkin on Jan. 31 at a Hilton Garden Inn lobby after the lawyer bumped up his fee by $10,000 to cover his travel expenses.
“When you walk into the lobby, there is a water station on your left. Just past the water is a chair with a newspaper on it. Please sit in that chair and I will come meet you,” Wertkin allegedly texted “Bill” the morning of their meeting.
Wertkin was swiftly arrested by FBI agents as he was handing over the sealed complaint.
His online biography boasted that, “having led more than 20 major fraud investigations on behalf of the Justice Department, Mr. Wertkin has first-hand knowledge of the legal and practical considerations that shape government investigations and [False Claims Act] litigation.”
He also served as lead counsel in the “first-ever False Claims act suit filed by the Justice Department,” according to a press release.
Wertkin was released on $750,000 bond following his arraignment in federal court in San Francisco last week, court records show.
He’s charged with obstruction of justice and contempt of court.
He was also terminated from Akin Gump, which hired him last April.
“We are shocked and deeply troubled by the conduct alleged in the charges filed against Mr. Wertkin. Honesty and integrity are at the core of our values and our client relationships,” an Akin Gump spokesman said. “Immediately upon learning of these charges, we took swift action and Mr. Wertkin is no longer with the firm.”
It’s unclear how Wertkin obtained the sealed complaint.
His attorney didn’t immediately return a message.