This weekend will be the Galleon founder’s last one on the outside for a while. Continue reading »
Galleon Group
The convicted insider trader, who was previously scheduled to report to prison for an 11 year sentence at the end of the month, was granted a few extra days of freedom. He’ll now have ’til December 5 to dance like nobody’s watching. [WSJ]
As you may have heard, yesterday morning, former McKinsey managing director Rajat Gupta was charged with insider trading. Is he worried he might be headed to jail in the not too distant future? Not in the slightest. Because 1) As previously mentioned, that time he took part in a fall 2008 conference call with GS management and fellow board members and after hanging up, made himself wait exactly twenty three seconds before getting Raj Rajaratnam on the horn with the details? Wasn’t with the intent for the Galleon manager to actually trade on the material non-public information Rajat was sharing. And 2) Even if a court of law should interpret the evidence otherwise, someone’s got his back. Continue reading »
Less than two weeks ago, Raj Rajaratnam was sentenced to 11 years in prison, after being convicted on 14 counts of securities fraud and conspiracy last May. Over the course of the trial, Raj had remained silent, choosing not to take the stand on his own behalf and offering no sound bites to reporters outside the courthouse, speaking only when it was absolutely necessary (to request “extra mayo“) and allowing his lawyer, John Dowd, to do the talking (asking a Wall Street Journal reporter how long one could reasonably expect him to continue “sucking on [U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet] Bahara’s teat,” declaring the guilty verdict a “23-14 victory” for the defense, and telling CNBC to “get the fuck out of here“). Recently, however, the former hedge fund manager decided to open up, allowing a reporter into his home where he pulled the curtain back on how this whole thing went down, starting with the state in which the Feds found him that fateful morning.
It was 6 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2009, and Raj Rajaratnam, head of the Galleon Group hedge fund, was at home on* his exercise bike looking out over Manhattan’s Turtle Bay.
Raj could have mentioned that he next moved on to shirtless arm curls and was on 1,003 at the exact moment Bhara and his crew busted into the apartment but felt like bragging. For posterity’s sake, though, it should be noted that he did over 1,000.
Moving on.
What he was actually doing at tipster Rajiv Goel’s home all those times, contrary to what the press and the government would have you believe?
…the prosecution noted that Rajaratnam would visit Goel’s house in Silicon Valley, presumably to talk about Intel. But the real explanation is more human. “His wife makes really good chaat [a savory snack]!”
Okay, that’s believable, but what about the material non-public information he got elsewhere? Continue reading »
-
Posted in:
insider-trading
Thirty Months From Now, Danielle Chiesi Could Be Working You For Stock Tips While She Works On Your Cuticles
By Bess Levin
This afternoon, Danielle Chiesi will report to a West Virginia prison for a 30-month stay, for her role in the Galleon insider trading case, wherein she passed valuable tips on to Raj Rajaratnam after the tech execs she worked closely with passed her a few of their own. Chiesi will be bunking at Federal Prison Camp Alderson (former home of Martha Stewart, where “women hide sugar packets and crackers in their socks and conceal larger items like eggs under their shirts”), and while Bloomberg reports that the former beauty queen/Newscastle analyst won’t be living alongside ‘sadistic crack-selling lesbian rapists‘ (“It’s more college campus than Chained Heat, the 1983 exploitation film about women in jail” we’re assured), there may still be a few aspects of prison life about which D-Chi (“they give each other nicknames,” says one former resident) will be less than thrilled. Such as: Continue reading »
In sentencing Raj Rajaratnam to 11 years in prison for insider-trading charges, U.S. District Judge Richard Holwell said Rajaratnam’s ill health justified some leniency in sentencing…Former BOP official, Phillip Wise, says Rajaratnam in 2007 suffered a “severe cryptogenic stroke,” or a stroke with no obvious cause. According to the document released by the court, Rajaratnam also has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, “marked obstructive sleep apnea” and Type II diabetes. The doctor said Rajaratnam’s diabetes “remains under poor control,” resulting in damage to his nerves, eyes and kidneys, and chronic anemia. [Deal Journal, earlier]
The defense had asked for 6.5 to 8 years on account of 1) the fact that, they say, Raj only made $7.4 million off his trades and 2) the “unique constellation of ailments ravaging his body” that would result in him dying behind bars if given a sentence “anywhere near” the prosecution’s request for 19.5 to 24 years. Continue reading »
-
Posted in:
insider-trading
Reader Poll: How Long Will Raj Rajaratnam Suffer The Indignity Of Unflattering Jumpsuits?
By Bess Levin
At some point tomorrow, Raj Rajaratnam will be sentenced for the 14 counts of securities fraud and conspiracy he was found guilty on in May. The prosecution, which claims the Galleon founder netted “at least” $50 million in ill-gotten gains, has requested he go away for anywhere between 19 years and seven months to 24 1/2 years, while the defense, which argues Raj scored a mere $7.4 million, would prefer 6 1/2 to 8 years. To that end, the Rajaratnam team led by attorney John “How long are you going to suck [U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York] Preet’s teat” Dowd has 1) asked friends of Raj to send character letters to Judge Howell highlighting what a great guy he is and 2) made the bold statement that Rajaratnam is suffering from a “unique constellation of ailments ravaging his body” and that he will most certainly “perish if given a lengthy prison term.” To date, individuals vaguely and otherwise connected to the Galleon case have been sentenced to 2.5 years (Danielle Chiesi), 3 years (Emanuel Goffer), 4 years (lobster fiend) 10 years (Zvi Goffer). So! Continue reading »
Judge Semi-Swayed By Former Galleon Group Employee’s Plea For Sentencing Leniency Due To Son’s Slow Start On Crawling
By Bess Levin
As previously discussed, Raj Rajaratnam is scheduled to be sentenced next week for his insider trading. The prosecution would like the Galleon Group founder to go away for twenty to twenty four years, while the defense would like way, way less time than that and are banking on the judge being swayed by the argument that Raj is in far too fragile a state for such a lengthy stay, owing to “a unique constellation of ailments ravaging his body.” Whether this excuse will work remains to be seen (and the prosecution has already put it out there that they’re calling bull shit) but today we’ve learned that what appears to sort of work, if you’re writing these down for potential future use, is saying that your kid’s less than stellar crawling skills and/or ability to color within the lines precludes you from going away for too long. Continue reading »
-
Posted in:
Hedge Funds
How Should Raj Rajaratnam Spend His Last Three Weeks Of Freedom?
By Bess Levin
Though some might argue otherwise, Raj Rajaratnam is a pretty lucky guy. In the beginning of July, at which time he was slated to be sentenced in mere weeks, Judge Richard Holwell agreed to postpone a decision until September 27, granting the convicted Galleon founder one last summer of love. Today, Holwell tossed Raj yet another bone, putting off next Tuesday’s sentencing for October 13. Knowing the guy better than most, how would you suggest he make these next few weeks count? Continue reading »
Back in May, Rengen Rajaratnam, little brother of Raj, made a simple request. For friends of the Galleon founder to send character letters to the judge in an effort to convince him to be lenient in sentencing. Rengen helpfully included some links on the proper formatting to use when drafting such missives and considering all the lives Raj had touched, it shouldn’t have proved too difficult a task. Was it so much to ask that people recall, for instance, the tears of joy he brought to their eyes when he paid an employee to allow herself to be tased? Or the midget gags? Apparently yes because his legal team has been forced to turn to plan B: breaking the news that Raj is dying of a disease the likes of which you can’t even imagine. Continue reading »
