Earlier today, we told you that in the view of one expert, some of the allegations about former AIGFP chief Joe Cassano echo those in the WorldCom case from earlier this decade, which ultimately sent former CEO Bernie Ebbers to jail — in particular the charge, made in at least one investor lawsuit, that Cassano obstructed the work of his firm’s auditors.
And it turns out that there’s another parallel with the WorldCom case. Cassano’s lawyer, white-collar crime expert Joseph Warin of Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher, was hired by WorldCom in 2003 to conduct an internal investigation into allegations that it re-routed long-distance phone calls in order to get out of paying billions of dollars in fees owed to other companies.
That’s a different charge from the one that felled Ebbers. Still, could it be another small sign that this whole AIGFP saga is going to take its place in the pantheon of high-profile white-collar fraud cases?
And while we’re on the subject of Warin, here’s another fun fact. In 2004, Washingtonian magazine compiled a list titled “Who to Call When You’re Under Investigation.” Guess who was on there.
Sounds like Cassano is a Washingtonian reader.