US: Lawyer indicted for fraud against firms

A federal grand jury indicted Keila Ravelo, a former Willkie Farr & Gallagher partner, for tax evasion and her alleged role in a scheme that used phony litigation support vendors to fraudulently obtain $7.8 million from two law firms where she was a partner, and from a former client, MasterCard.

Ravelo, 50, and her husband, Melvin Feliz, 49, originally were arrested in December 2014 and charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The grand jury indictment, announced by New Jersey US Attorney Paul Fishman, charges Ravelo with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud and four counts of tax evasion.

Her attorney, Steven Sadow, special counsel at the Atlanta-based firm Schulten Ward & Turner, said she is not guilty.

In a statement, Sadow said Ravelo represented MasterCard in antitrust litigation for more than 18 years “and worked tirelessly to defend its legal interests at all times. Keila would not and did not betray MasterCard for greed or self-aggrandizement.”

Full content: North Jersey

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