Former prosecutor feels heat over Russia involvement

New York Post

A prominent Manhattan white-collar criminal defense lawyer is the subject of a federal court grievance complaint, The Post has learned.

John Moscow, a former prosecutor now working at BakerHostetler, shouldn’t be allowed to represent several companies accused of funneling dirty Russian cash into the US to buy pricey Manhattan real estate, according to the complaint.

Moscow was hired in November 2008 by a hedge fund mogul to investigate the Russian money trail.
That conflict of interest should bar him from his current role as defense counsel to the allegedly dirty companies, William Browder, the feisty hedge fund manager who hired him, claims.

Browder says he gave Moscow confidential information that led to federal charges against Prevezon Holdings, part of the allegedly shady real estate scheme.

Moscow represents Prevezon and a slew of other defendants in a civil forfeiture case brought by US Attorney Preet Bharara.

“The same guy I was baring my soul to is now turning to the other side,” Browder told The Post.
“It’s the most shocking thing I’ve ever seen in the legal profession.”

Browder hired Moscow to help him win the freedom of his hedge fund’s lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, who was arrested in Russia.

Browder said following the money trail through subpoenas was one of the tactics Moscow had suggested to locate the persons behind the lawyer’s imprisonment.

The lawyer had been looking into an identity theft ring that hit Browder’s Hermitage hedge fund — at the time a large investor in Russia.

Cash from the ID theft ring eventually made its way to the US and was allegedly used to buy several Midtown and downtown condos.

The lawyer was arrested after he found ties between the theft and Russian officials.
The case rose to international prominence after Magnitsky died while in jail.

Last year, Browder was behind a bipartisan bill to ban anyone tied to Magnitsky’s death from setting foot on US soil.

After seeing Moscow’s name attached to Prevezon, Browder fired off a letter asking the firm to recuse itself.

BakerHostetler replied that it did not believe there was a conflict of interest or that it possessed any confidential information.

The court’s grievance committee has the power to boot lawyers from cases for wrongdoing. Neither Moscow nor BakerHostetler returned a request for comment.

The real-estate money was deemed dirty because it allegedly stemmed from the $230 million Russian fraud Magnitsky uncovered in 2007 before he was imprisoned.
Russia has long maintained that Magnitsky was jailed for other reasons.
Moscow and Browder parted ways in 2009.

“I shared with them all of my objectives, worries and thoughts about going after the people who were behind this crime. How can that not be confidential?” Browder said. “The whole thing just stinks.” hairy girls займ срочно без отказов и проверок https://zp-pdl.com/fast-and-easy-payday-loans-online.php https://zp-pdl.com/get-quick-online-payday-loan-now.php hairy woman