Daily Beast Illustration by Luis Rendon
When the billionaire Robert Brockman died on Aug. 5, less than three months after a judge ruled him competent to stand trial in the largest tax fraud case in U.S. history, the prospect of explosive public testimony evaporated, too.
That newfound sense of quiet is likely welcome news to another billionaire, Robert Smith, who signed a non-prosecution agreement with the feds in 2020 and agreed to cooperate against Brockman and other possible suspects. The Brockman trial would have been the most high-profile element of that deal—and another public relations fiasco for Smith, who has worked to brand himself as a prominent philanthropist.
“Smith got a great deal,” said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who has since cofounded a private firm, West Coast Trial Lawyers. “He’s pretty well situated right now, because now he gets the benefit of the agreement without actually having to testify.”
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