This article briefly:
Digital Currency Group has hired one of the most respected white-collar lawyers to defend it against charges that it defrauded investors.
Barry Berke served on both of Donald Trump’s impeachment trials and has successfully defended prominent figures with original ideas.
In a recent Deutsche Bank broker case, Burke used role-playing to destroy evidence during a four-day trial.
Digital Currency Group has hired former Donald Trump impeachment lawyer Barry Berke, who served in both of Trump’s impeachment trials, to fight a lawsuit filed by the New York Attorney General (NYAG). Berke was involved in both of Trump’s impeachment trials.
Burke was appointed two weeks later when NYAG Letitia James sued DCG, its subsidiary Genesis and Gemini exchanges for an alleged $1.1 billion fraud. DCG has denied the allegations and vowed to contest them.
Resume of former Trump DCG lawyer Burke
According to sources at Chambers USA, a U.S. legal rankings firm, Burke is an experienced defense attorney who excels at protecting clients and helping them navigate crises. He built a framework for an investigation during Trump’s second impeachment, in which Trump was impeached for alleged collusion with Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.
Burke also defended former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio against federal and local charges in 2017. He recently secured the dismissal of bribery and fraud charges against former New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin.
Berke is the second high-profile DCG hire following the hiring of former Obama attorney Donald B. Verrilli Jr. by its digital asset subsidiary Grayscale Investments (Grayscale). Verrilli successfully argued that the SEC’s rejection of Grayscale’s Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) application was arbitrary and capricious.
Berke Flair Could Derail NYAG Case
The judge in the Grayscale case rebuked the SEC for using poor legal reasoning in rejecting the fund’s ETF application. Likewise, if the NYAG had been ill-prepared, Burke’s novel approach to trial could have destroyed the case in a matter of days.
New York and California Lead Crypto Litigation (Late 2022)
Source: Yale Journal of Regulation
In 2011, Burke defended a former Deutsche Bank broker against charges of marketing fraudulent tax shelters. Burke successfully undermined the prosecution's case by subjecting state witnesses to role-play questioning over a four-day period.
Prosecutors succeeded in convicting people whom Burke did not represent. Paul H. Schoeman, who worked with Burke on the case, said:
"He thinks very creatively and inventively and combines that with incredible preparation and effort. It's not only a good idea, it's very well executed."
Do you have anything to say about DCG hiring Trump attorney Barry Berke to handle NYAG lawsuit? #DCG #诉讼
