Former general counsel Gregory Weisman has been suspended from practicing before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission more than three years after his guilty plea in the PetroTiger Ltd. bribery case.
In November 2013, Weisman pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the wire fraud statute, and was later disbarred from practicing law in New York and Pennsylvania. Two other executives at PetroTiger also were convicted, with Weisman’s help for the prosecution.
The SEC decided last week to also suspend the former GC from securities practice. A spokesman did not immediately return messages asking about the timing of the suspension.
Weisman could not be reached for comment. His lawyer in the bribery case was unable to offer contact information. Weisman has been working as a consultant, according to his LinkedIn page.
The criminal information against Weisman charged that he and two executives schemed to obtain kickback payments totaling about $400,000 in connection with the acquisition of a Colombian oil company. Weisman received $51,618 in the scheme, which he forfeited as part of his plea agreement.
He and the other two execs were also charged with bribing a Colombian official in exchange for a $39 million oil contract.
At one point in the investigation, the general counsel wore a wire for prosecutors, and taped a conversation with company CEO Joseph Seligman in Seligman’s penthouse apartment in Miami. Seligman was later convicted, with Weisman testifying against him.
All three men were sentenced to probation, made restitution of any ill-gotten gains and paid fines. Weisman’s probation was a term of two years and he was ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.
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