Justice Department Extortion Racket?-2

"German engineering giant Siemens AG hired New York law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP more than a year ago to get to the bottom of a widening bribe-for-business scandal and try to blunt possible U.S. sanctions. ... Debevoise's probe also highlights potential weaknesses in the legal outsourcing model pushed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. [SEC]. Faced with more cases than the staff can handle, the agencies have encouraged companies in recent years to hire outside law firms to conduct in-depth investigations of suspicious activity and then share the information with U.S. prosecutors. In return, co-operative companies hope for more lenient fines and sanctions. ... Siemens fears and FCPA fines could be much bigger than the already hefty fine imposed by the German court in October. ... Debevoise's white-collar crime practice boasts 11 former federal prosecutors, including Mary Jo White [MJW], the former U.S. Attorney for the [SDNY]", my emphasis, WSJ, 23 January 2008.

We know MJW, see my 10 August and 12 September 2007 posts. Imagine, the SEC and (In)Justice Department are "faced with more cases than the staff can handle", yet fail to use my Blankfein test, prosecuting Raben and Borchard, see my 19 January 2008 post. Crazy, unless you believe the Feds are running an extortion racket with delayed reaction payoffs. Can I get a piece of this "action" for say $1,000 per hour? Nah, I'm not an (In)Justice Department "alumnus". Barney Frank, have I got an idea for you: investigate the SDNY US attorney's office, but remember to don a hazmat suit before you enter the place.