The former chairman of U.S. law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf is nearing a deal with New York prosecutors to avert a retrial on fraud charges stemming from the firm's collapse, and prosecutors have extended plea offers to three other defendants, Reuters reported yesterday. A potential deferred prosecution agreement for Dewey leader Steven Davis was confirmed by his lawyer after a court hearing in New York state court yesterday. If approved, the deal would mark a step toward resolving a criminal case stemming from the largest law firm failure in U.S. history. Assistant District Attorney Peirce Moser also offered plea deals at the hearing to former Dewey executive director Stephen DiCarmine and chief financial officer Joel Sanders, as well as client relations manager Zachary Warren. Only the offer to Sanders included prison time. Moser also moved to dismiss several counts of falsifying business records against the defendants, streamlining any retrial.
