Evan Greebel, a former Katten Muchin Rosenman partner convicted of conspiring to commit fraud with pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, has lost his ability to appear before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the American Lawyer reported. The order follows a New York court’s decision in early January to suspend Greebel from practicing law. In an order yesterday, the SEC suspended Greebel from appearing or practicing before the commission. The suspension was automatically set off by Greebel’s December 2017 conviction on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud. The SEC’s order cites the conviction and an 18-month prison sentence handed down in August against Greebel. Prosecutors accused the lawyer of helping former Retrophin Inc. CEO Martin Shkreli improperly use company assets to pay off debts owed to investors in a pair of hedge funds that Shkreli started. Greebel’s work for Retrophin took place when he was at Katten. By the time of his arrest in December 2015, however, he was practicing law at Kaye Scholer, from which he resigned soon after. In addition to the prison term, Greebel was ordered to pay more than $10.4 million in restitution to Retrophin.
The Justice Department yesterday announced criminal charges against Huawei Technologies, the world’s largest communications equipment manufacturer, and one of its top executives — a move likely to intensify trade tensions between the U.S. and China, the Washington Post reported. A 13-count indictment filed in New York City against Huawei, two affiliates and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, details allegations of bank and wire fraud. The company also is charged with violating U.S. sanctions on Iran and conspiring to obstruct justice related to the investigation. Canadian officials arrested Meng on a U.S. warrant Dec. 1. She has since been released on bail, and her travel is confined to Vancouver and surrounding areas. Meng could face up to 30 years if found guilty on all counts.
A former technology company CEO has filed for bankruptcy and listed his creditors as companies that claim he embezzled more than $10 million from them, AL.com reported. Steve Shickles and his wife Ronda filed for chapter 11 protection in federal court and listed $10 million in debt, court records show. The bankruptcy filing came just days after Huntsville, Ala.-based tech firm Simple Helix and its sister companies filed a lawsuit accusing him of embezzling about $10.2 million. Steve Shickles resigned as CEO of Simple Helix after the company confronted him about a PayPal account he had been secretly operating for years, according to court records. The company’s lawsuit alleges Steve Shickles defrauded the company of more than $10.2 million by diverting company money into personal accounts, paying personal loans with company money or paying personal expenses with company funds. The lawsuit also names Shickles’ wife, Ronda, as a defendant. The document alleges the couple kept more than 20 high-end vehicles — allegedly bought with stolen funds — in warehouses around Huntsville.