Will Carlyle Go Down For Bribing Government Officials? [View All]

[seemslikeadream]

http://dealbreaker.com/2009/04/will-carlyle-go-down-for-bribi.php

Mmmm unlikely, though Cuomo has finally gotten around to rattling his saber in their and other PE firms' general directions, which is something. Last month Hank Morris, a political consultant to former Comptroller Alan Hevesi, and David Loglisci, a former deputy controller for Pension Investment and Cash Management under Hevesi, were the only ones charged (with 123 counts of "enterprise corruption and other felonies") for their parts in a little pension scandale, which came down to steering pensions funds to certain advisers who were offering them some sweet kickbacks to the tune of $35 million. Those putting the money on the table were not named as defendants "or accused of any wrongdoing" and were seemingly going to get off on the argument that they themselves were victims of fraud ("We thought that they were a placement agent!"). They still might, but not without some minor discomfort (which is nothing new, as they've been "had" through similar scams several times by now).

New York State prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating whether the Carlyle Group, one of the nation's largest and most politically connected private equity firms, made millions of dollars in improper payments to intermediaries in exchange for investments from New York's state pension fund, according to two people with direct knowledge of the case.
The inquiry, which is examining the activities of a number of investment companies, focuses on what has been a widespread practice among hedge funds and private equity firms -- paying so-called placement agents to gain business managing the pension funds run by states for public employees. Such payments often raise questions about conflicts of interest and concerns that they lead placement agents to bribe public officials.