2012年2月28日星期二
Private Equity, Finance Lawyer Melinda Rishkofski Joins Baker Botts L.L.P. as Partner in Moscow
MOSCOW, February 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
Melinda Rishkofski, who has represented private equity fund managers, international financial institutions and portfolio companies in Russia, Eastern Europe, the UK and the US, has joined Baker Botts L.L.P. as a partner in the firm´s Moscow office.
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Rishkofski´s experience includes working with Russian and Eastern European privatization policies, policy advice and drafting laws for the new Russian economy, development of Russian corporate securities and regulatory structures. She also worked on regulatory and legislative matters with representatives for the U.S. and Russian governments.
“Melinda adds depth to our international transactional resources, ” said Baker Botts Managing Partner Walt Smith. “Her focus on the Russian market and her extensive private equity experience are significant additions to our client offerings.”
Prior to joining Baker Botts, Rishkofski was general counsel for Russian-based Baring Vostok Capital Partners. As principal advisor, negotiator and transaction counsel, she provided legal support to financial institutions, multilateral development banks, private equity fund managers and Russian companies with respect to debt and equity financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, employee incentive programs, dispute resolution and general corporate matters.
In this role, Rishkofski has worked with and served more than 35 investee companies and the legal needs of private equity investment funds with more than $2 billion in capital and assets. She has also worked extensively with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) on secured credit and debt and equity financing transactions.
“Melinda´s extensive knowledge of the private equity and funds sector in Russia and the CIS, a market sector where we expect to see significant increased activity in 2012, will provide our clients working in or entering into this sector an expertise not currently available from legal consultants in the region, ” said Steven Wardlaw, Partner in Charge of Baker Botts´ Moscow office.
Rishkofski obtained a BS from the Pennsylvania State University in the U.S., a J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law (now part of the Pennsylvania State University), and an LL.M in International Business and Finance from the University of London, Kings College in the UK.
About Baker Botts L.L.P.
Baker Botts is an international law firm with over 725 lawyers and a network of 13 offices around the globe. Based on our experience and knowledge of our clients´ industries, we are recognized as a leading firm in the energy, technology and life sciences sectors. Throughout our 172-year history, we have provided creative and effective legal solutions for our clients while demonstrating an unrelenting commitment to excellence. For more information, please visit http://www.bakerbotts.com/.
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2012年1月23日星期一
Anchorage condo king indicted on fraud, criminal charges
Four years after his financial world began collapsing, Anchorage condo king Lee Baker Jr. has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he lied and cheated on federal credit union loans connected with his construction projects, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
The 14-count indictment accuses Baker, 55, of misleading Denali Alaskan Federal Credit Union in a number of transactions in 2005, including when he sought a loan to purchase and develop Lake View Estates in Wasilla.
Federal prosecutors allege that Baker created a series of land-sales transactions to obtain the loan under false pretenses, transferring Lake View Estates property from his company, Discovery Construction, to himself, then back to the company.
When he “sold” the land back to Discovery Construction, Baker told the credit union that a legitimate deal valued at $1.4 million had taken place, and sought the loan to finance it, prosecutors said. Instead, the indictment alleged, Baker used the money he obtained from the federally insured credit union to reduce his shareholder debt to Discovery Construction.
The indictment also accuses Baker of lying to the credit union when he drew down the proceeds of a $9.2 million construction loan for the Bryn Mawr apartment project on Northern Lights Boulevard in East Anchorage.
Normally, contractors tap into a construction loan as they complete phases of a project and the bills come due. Baker claimed to have completed 12 separate work phases, and each time obtained a chunk of the total loan.
In fact, the prosecutors alleged, “very little work had been done and the total amount completed in each request was false.”
Baker eventually defaulted on the loan, prosecutors said.
Baker also faces a count of money laundering for paying a subcontractor on a different project out of the Bryn Mawr money.
Baker faced a parade of lawsuits from subcontractors and suppliers in early 2008 as the local version of the national housing bubble began to burst and he stopped paying his bills.
Baker was known for building “site condos,” controversial developments where cheap houses were squeezed onto the smallest possible piece of land — in some cases, using access roads the size of alleys in which fire trucks were unable to maneuver.
In March 2008, the Denali credit union followed the contractors and other creditors, suing him and his company to recover $16 million in delinquent loans. The credit union said the delinquent loans were the main reason it lost $2.8 million in 2007.
In its lawsuit, the credit union accused Baker of fraud. Baker acknowledged that he defaulted on the loans, but denied fraud had anything to do with it.
Now it’s federal prosecutors accusing him of fraud and other criminal violations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage said the charges against Baker carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, though judges rarely apply the maximum.
Baker couldn’t reached for comment.
In lawsuits and criminal cases filed across the country, the Justice Department has been targeting lenders, contractors, financial managers and others who contributed to the financial collapse associated with the burst U.S. housing bubble in the late 2000s.
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Federal prosecutors allege that Baker created a series of land-sales transactions to obtain the loan under false pretenses, transferring Lake View Estates property from his company, Discovery Construction, to himself, then back to the company.
When he “sold” the land back to Discovery Construction, Baker told the credit union that a legitimate deal valued at $1.4 million had taken place, and sought the loan to finance it, prosecutors said. Instead, the indictment alleged, Baker used the money he obtained from the federally insured credit union to reduce his shareholder debt to Discovery Construction.
The indictment also accuses Baker of lying to the credit union when he drew down the proceeds of a $9.2 million construction loan for the Bryn Mawr apartment project on Northern Lights Boulevard in East Anchorage.
Normally, contractors tap into a construction loan as they complete phases of a project and the bills come due. Baker claimed to have completed 12 separate work phases, and each time obtained a chunk of the total loan.
In fact, the prosecutors alleged, “very little work had been done and the total amount completed in each request was false.”
Baker eventually defaulted on the loan, prosecutors said.
Baker also faces a count of money laundering for paying a subcontractor on a different project out of the Bryn Mawr money.
Baker faced a parade of lawsuits from subcontractors and suppliers in early 2008 as the local version of the national housing bubble began to burst and he stopped paying his bills.
Baker was known for building “site condos,” controversial developments where cheap houses were squeezed onto the smallest possible piece of land — in some cases, using access roads the size of alleys in which fire trucks were unable to maneuver.
In March 2008, the Denali credit union followed the contractors and other creditors, suing him and his company to recover $16 million in delinquent loans. The credit union said the delinquent loans were the main reason it lost $2.8 million in 2007.
In its lawsuit, the credit union accused Baker of fraud. Baker acknowledged that he defaulted on the loans, but denied fraud had anything to do with it.
Now it’s federal prosecutors accusing him of fraud and other criminal violations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Anchorage said the charges against Baker carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, though judges rarely apply the maximum.
Baker couldn’t reached for comment.
In lawsuits and criminal cases filed across the country, the Justice Department has been targeting lenders, contractors, financial managers and others who contributed to the financial collapse associated with the burst U.S. housing bubble in the late 2000s.
http://tourism9.cm/ http://vkins.com/
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