Former BigLaw operations manager pleads guilty to using law firm credit card for personal purchases
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A former office operations manager at Morrison & Foerster pleaded guilty to felony mail fraud Wednesday for using a law firm credit card to make at least $425,000 in personal purchases and payments to his PayPal account.
Andrew Robertson pleaded guilty in Washington, D.C., federal court and will be sentenced in August, the National Law Journal reports.
During the plea hearing, Kathryn Rakoczy, an assistant U.S. attorney, told of one unauthorized purchase: Prada jeans costing $250. An October 2019 affidavit supporting the criminal complaint and arrest warrant alleged that Robertson also used the credit card to pay for other designer clothing, jewelry, home furnishings, groceries, his Verizon bill and storage units for his personal items.
Specific items allegedly purchased included a 60-inch LED TV; a sleeper bed; Air Jordan, Prada and Gucci sneakers; Gucci ankle boots; a prom king costume; a Roomba vacuum; a goose down parka with coyote fur; Bath & Body works candles; a MacBook Air computer; a Cartier watch; and a pinkie ring.
Morrison & Foerster hired Robertson in February 2017 and fired him in November 2018 after an internal audit detected the alleged fraud. The firm has said Robertson’s actions did not affect any law firm clients.
