New York partner Marc Powers was quoted in the September 19, 2009 Wall Street Journal article, "Wissman's Plea Aside, He's Living a High Life."
According to the article, hedge-fund manager Barrett Wissman, who will be the star witness in a New York pension-corruption trial, pleaded guilty in April to a securities-fraud felony, and promised to pay a $12 million penalty. None of this appears to have crimped the lifestyle of Wissman. Over the summer, he held court at a wine-and-music festival he helped found in Italy and also showed up in the online version of Wine Spectator, dining and drinking with its Italy correspondent, according to the article.
Not all government witnesses awaiting their day in court lead such a good life, according to the article. Douglas Faneuil, an assistant to Martha Stewart's stock broker whose testimony played a big role in her 2004 conspiracy conviction, hid in a Manhattan hotel for several weeks to avoid publicity, according to Powers, who represented Faneuil. "We got calls from media every other day, but we declined them all," Powers said. "I told him he had to keep a low profile."