Name partner of shuttered Fla. law firm faces criminal case, wants to ‘get on with his life’

Name partner of shuttered Fla. law firm faces criminal case, wants to ‘get on with his life’
By Martha Neil
ABA Journal
Mar 7, 2014

A name partner of the shuttered Florida law firm led by imprisoned swindler Scott Rothstein has been criminally charged with conspiracy to violate federal election laws.

Russell Adler was charged in a criminal information filed by federal prosecutors in Fort Lauderdale, which usually signifies that the defendant is cooperating with the government, according to the South Florida Business Journal's Scott Rothstein: Picking up the Pieces blog and the Sun Sentinel.

His lawyer, Fred Haddad, told the Sun Sentinel that the recent conviction of attorney Christina Kitterman, who formerly worked for Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, and a wire fraud plea by Douglas Bates, a lawyer from another firm accused of helping Rothstein with a Ponzi scheme he operated while running the Fort Lauderdale-based RRA, persuaded Adler that it was time.

"Obviously, since Rothstein's performance in the Kitterman trial and Bates' plea, things have come together for the government," Haddad told the newspaper, referring to Rothstein's testimony in the Kitterman case. "Russell is charged with illegal campaign contributions and wants to resolve this and get on with his life."

The articles do not provide details of the charge against Adler. Others connected to RRA have previously been accused of making large contributions to Republican election campaigns, including those of former presidential candidate John McCain and former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, for which the donors allegedly were illegally reimbursed by law firm "bonus" checks.

Rothstein is serving a 50-year federal prison term in the witness protection program after being convicted of swindling investors of some $1.2 billion in various schemes. He has been cooperating with the government and lawyers for swindled investors in various matters, reportedly hoping for a sentence reduction.

See also:

ABAJournal.com (Feb. 2011): "Ex-Rothstein Partner Will Pay Up to $500K to Settle Clawback Suit re Alleged Excess Compensation"

ABAJournal.com (Dec. 2011): "Convicted in $1.2B Ponzi Scheme, Scott Rothstein Said in Depo That 2 Law Firm Partners Benefited"