Professional Documents
Culture Documents
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 2 of 181
1 MBIA, INC.; )
)
2 CITIBANK, N.A.; )
)
3 CITIGROUP FINANCIAL )
PRODUCTS INC.; )
4 )
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS )
5 HOLDINGS INC.; )
)
6 MORGAN STANLEY; )
)
7 RABOBANK GROUP; )
)
8 BAYERISCHE LANDESBANK )
GIROZENTRALE; )
9 )
TRANSAMERICA LIFE )
10 INSURANCE COMPANY; )
)
11 PIPER JAFFRAY & CO.; )
)
12 SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE SA; )
)
13 WACHOVIA BANK, N.A.; )
)
14 WELLS FARGO & COMPANY; )
)
15 AIG FINANCIAL PRODUCTS )
CORP.; )
16 )
FINANCIAL SECURITY )
17 ASSURANCE, INC.; )
)
18 ASSURED GUARANTY US )
HOLDINGS, INC.; )
19 )
DEXIA S.A.; )
20 )
NATIONAL WESTMINSTER BANK, )
21 PLC; )
)
22 GENERAL ELECTRIC CAPITAL )
CORPORATION; )
23 )
GE FUNDING CAPITAL MARKET )
24 SERVICES, INC.; )
)
25 TRINITY FUNDING CO., LLC; )
)
26 TRINITY PLUS FUNDING CO., LLC; )
)
27 NATIXIS FUNDING CORP.; )
)
v 28 NATIXIS S.A.; )
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 3 of 181
1 )
XL CAPITAL LTD.; )
2 )
SYNCORA GUARANTEE, INC.; )
3 )
SYNCORA HOLDINGS, LTD.; )
4 )
XL ASSET FUNDING I, LLC; )
5 )
XL LIFE AND ANNUITY HOLDING )
6 COMPANY; )
)
7 THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, )
INC.; )
8 )
GOLDMAN SACHS MITSUI )
9 MARINE DERIVATIVE PRODUCTS, )
L.P.; )
10 )
GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA; )
11 )
CDR FINANCIAL PRODUCTS; )
12 )
FELD WINTERS FINANCIAL LLC; )
13 )
WINTERS & CO., ADVISORS, LLC; )
14 )
GEORGE K. BAUM & CO.; )
15 )
SOUND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, )
16 INC.; )
)
17 INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT )
ADVISORY GROUP, INC.; )
18 )
FIRST SOUTHWEST COMPANY; )
19 )
PFM GROUP, INC.; and )
20 )
PFM ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC. )
21 )
22
23
24
25
26
27
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 4 of 181
1 TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 Page
3 I. NATURE OF THE ACTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
4 II. JURISDICTION AND VENUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5 III. PARTIES.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6 A. Plaintiff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
7 B. Defendants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
8 1. Provider Defendants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
9 2. Broker Defendants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
10 C. Named and Unnamed Co-conspirators.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
11 IV. OVERVIEW OF MUNICIPAL DERIVATIVES.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
12 A. Municipal Bond Basics.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
13 B. Municipal Derivatives Basics.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
14 1. Guaranteed Investment Contracts “GICs”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
15 2. Forward Agreements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
16 3. Advanced Refunding Escrow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
17 4. Swaps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
18 a. Basic Swap Valuation - Logic of
“Rational Pricing”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
19
5. Interest Rate Agreements, Options, And Swaptions.. . . . . . . 39
20
V. DEFENDANTS’ ILLEGAL MANIPULATION OF THE
21 MUNICIPAL DERIVATIVE MARKET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
22 A. Overview Of Defendants’ Illegal Conspiracy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
23 1. Mechanics Of The Conspiracy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
24 a. Bid-Rigging Of Auctions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
25 i. Pre-Selecting A Particular Provider
Defendant To Win An Auction for a
26 Municipal Derivative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
27 ii. Submitting Courtesy Bids To Help a
Pre-Selected Provider Defendant Win a
v 28 Municipal Derivative Auction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT i
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 5 of 181
1
iii. Passing to Help a Pre-Selected Provider
2 Defendant Win a Municipal Derivative
Auction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3
iv. The Pre-Selected Provider Defendant Gets
4 A “Last Look” At Other Bids to Ensure
Winning a Municipal Derivative Auction. . . . . . 58
5
v. The Pre-Selected Provider Defendant Gets
6 Guidance and The Terms Of Other Bids to
Ensure Winning a Municipal Derivative
7 Auction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
8 b. Manipulation Of Negotiated Deals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
9 c. Kickbacks And Other Types Of Unlawful
Consideration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
10
d. Defendants’ Overt Acts To Prevent Discovery Of
11 Their Conspiratorial Communications.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
12 2. “It’s nice to have friends”: Repeat Appearances By
Defendants’ Representatives In Different Transactions,
13 Personal Relationships Amongst Them, And Other
Factors Encouraging And Enabling The Conspiracy.. . . . . . . 71
14
a. Repeat Appearances In Multiple Transactions .. . . . . . 71
15
b. Personal Relationships Amongst Defendants’
16 Representatives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
17 3. Industry-Wide Quality And Market-Wide Effect Of
Conspiracy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
18
B. Evidence Of The Conspiracy’s Operation Through Specific
19 Municipal Derivative Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
20 1. Examples Of The Conspiracy’s Operation In Particular
Municipal Derivative Transactions Identified In The
21 CDR Indictment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
22 a. Municipal Derivative Transactions Manipulated
By Provider A, CDR, And Co-Conspirators .. . . . . . . . 80
23
i. Three 2003 State Water Development
24 Authority Municipal Derivative
Transactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
25
ii. A 2002 Municipal Port Facility Municipal
26 Derivative Transaction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
27 b. Municipal Derivative Transactions Manipulated
By Provider B, CDR, And Co-Conspirators. . . . . . . . . 85
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT ii
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 6 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT iii
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT iv
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 8 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT v
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26
27
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT vi
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 10 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 1
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 11 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 2
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 12 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 3
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 4
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 14 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 5
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 15 of 181
1 18. Given the more than 25 criminal subpoenas that have already been
2 issued, the number of individuals that have publically reported receiving target
3 letters from the DOJ, the number of individuals and Defendants that have reported
4 receiving Wells notices from the SEC, the references in the CDR Indictment to at
5 least four other firms who acted as co-conspirators with CDR in its criminal
6 conduct, the entry of Defendant Bank of America into the DOJ’s amnesty program
7 (along with a $14.7 million settlement with the IRS), the $700 million settlement
8 on November 4, 2009 reached between the SEC and Defendant J.P. Morgan
9 Securities, Inc. for manipulation of negotiated swap deals, and the dozens of
10 examples of Municipal Derivatives transactions described herein that bear the
11 hallmarks of a consistent pattern of manipulation by Defendants, predictions of
12 further criminal indictments are very likely accurate.
13 19. Accordingly, the DOJ has requested and received a stay of formal
14 discovery by civil plaintiffs, which has hampered efforts by SMUD and other
15 municipalities to attain evidence of the conspiracy alleged herein that is known to
16 exist, including tapes of Defendants’ employees engaged in conspiratorial
17 communication.
18 20. To overcome these obstacles, SMUD has engaged its own
19 independent investigation, on which the allegations herein are based. This
20 investigation has included receiving oral and documentary evidence from
21 Defendant Bank of America (“BofA”), including an oral proffer of evidence based
22 on the testimony of a former BofA employee (“Confidential Witness” or “CW”), a
23 description of the contents of various tape recorded conversations, as well as
24 emails and transaction files. It has also involved the gathering and analysis of
25 publically available information, including the SEC filings of Defendants and
26 press articles, as well as quantitative and pattern analyses of information regarding
27 Municipal Derivative transactions entered into by it and other California cities,
v 28 counties and public entities.
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 6
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 16 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 7
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 8
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 18 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 9
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 19 of 181
1 other purposes. SMUD uses Municipal Derivatives to hedge its interest rate
2 obligations associated with these issuances and for other financial purposes. One
3 or more of the Defendants participated in some or all of the Municipal Derivatives
4 transactions based on which SMUD hereby sues. The terms that SMUD received
5 on these municipal derivatives were subject to and negatively affected by the
6 unlawful acts of the Defendants alleged herein, and SMUD suffered financial
7 injury and was so damaged as a result. SMUD was further injured by Defendants’
8 unlawful acts, including but not limited to: receiving swap rates that were
9 artificially depressed and uncompetitive, receiving terms on other kinds of
10 municipal derivatives that were artificially depressed and uncompetitive, entering
11 into municipal derivative transactions with providers that carried increased credit
12 risks which were not reflected in the terms of the transaction and paying
13 uncompetitive and inflated fees and costs associated with the transactions.
14 B. Defendants
15 1. Provider Defendants
16 31. Provider Defendants are those Defendants that acted as counter
17 parties in Municipal Derivative transactions entered into by SMUD and other
18 public entities and/or submitted bids and pricing information in such transactions.
19 All of the Provider Defendants were part of the conspiracy. The term provider is
20 commonly used in the Municipal Derivatives industry to refer to those entities that
21 are counter parties to issuers, such as SMUD, in Municipal Derivative
22 transactions, as opposed to brokers of Municipal Derivatives, discussed below.
23 32. Provider Defendant Bank of America, N.A. (“Bank of America” or
24 “BofA”) is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in
25 Charlotte, North Carolina. As a member of the conspiracy, Bank of America,
26 directly and through its fully owned subsidiary Defendant Merrill Lynch & Co.,
27 Inc., was a counter-party to Municipal Derivatives invested in by public and non-
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 10
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 20 of 181
1 profit entities and engaged in the misconduct that led to the harm suffered by
2 SMUD.
3 33. Provider Defendant Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. (“Merrill Lynch”), a
4 wholly owned subsidiary of Defendant Bank of America, is a Delaware
5 corporation with its principal place of business in Charlotte, North Carolina
6 (formerly New York, New York). Defendant Bank of America acquired Merrill
7 Lynch in January of 2009. As a member of the conspiracy, Merrill Lynch was a
8 counter-party to Municipal Derivatives entered into by public and non-profit
9 entities and engaged in the misconduct that led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
10 34. Provider Defendant UBS AG (“UBS AG”) is a Swiss corporation
11 with its principal place of business in New York, New York. As a member of the
12 conspiracy, UBS AG, directly and/or through its wholly owned subsidiaries
13 Defendant UBS Securities, LLC and/or Defendant UBS Financial Services, Inc.,
14 was a counter-party to Municipal Derivatives entered into by public and non-profit
15 entities and engaged in the misconduct that led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
16 35. Provider Defendant UBS Financial Services, Inc., f/k/a
17 PaineWebber, Inc. (“PaineWebber”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Defendant
18 UBS AG, is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in New
19 York, New York. In 2000, UBS AG acquired PaineWebber. As a member of the
20 conspiracy, PaineWebber, was a counter-party to Municipal Derivatives entered
21 into by public and non-profit entities and engaged in the misconduct that led to the
22 harm suffered by SMUD.
23 36. Provider Defendant UBS Securities, LLC, f/k/a UBS Warburg
24 LLC (“UBS Securities”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Defendant UBS AG, is a
25 Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in New York, New York.
26 As a member of the conspiracy, UBS Securities was a counter-party to Municipal
27 Derivatives entered into by public and non-profit entities and engaged in the
v 28 misconduct that led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 11
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 21 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 12
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 22 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 13
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 23 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 14
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 24 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 15
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 25 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 16
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 26 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 17
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 27 of 181
1 non-profit entities and engaged in the misconduct that led to the harm suffered by
2 SMUD.
3 60. Provider Defendant General Electric Capital Corporation
4 (“GECC”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Electric Capital Service, Inc.
5 (“GECSI”) (which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Electric Company), is
6 a Delaware corporation, with its principal place of business in Fairfield,
7 Connecticut. GECC issued Municipal Derivatives to public and non-profit entities
8 through its group of wholly-owned and sponsored special purpose entities,
9 Defendant GE Funding Capital Market Services, Inc., Defendant Trinity Funding
10 Co., LLC, and Defendant Trinity Plus Funding Co., LLC., and guaranteed the
11 Municipal Derivatives that it issued through these entities. GECC and GECSI
12 refer collectively to Defendants GE Funding Capital Market Services, Trinity
13 Funding Co., LLC, and Trinity Plus Funding Co., LLC. in GECC’s and GECSI’s
14 SEC filings and marketing materials as “Trinity,” “Trinity Funding Co.,” “Trinity
15 SPEs,” “GE Funding CMS,” and “GE Funding Capital Market Services Group.”
16 They are referred to collectively herein as “GE Trinity Special Purpose Entities” of
17 “GE Trinity SPEs.”
18 61. GECC consolidated operations of GE Trinity SPEs into GECC’s
19 financial statements, including guaranteed investment contracts, accounting for the
20 assets and liabilities of each of GE Trinity SPE as assets and liabilities of GECC.
21 Accordingly, GECC referred, in its SEC filings, to the guaranteed investment
22 contracts issued by GE Trinity SPEs as GECC’s guaranteed investment contracts,
23 and liabilities flowing from GE Trinity SPE issued guaranteed investment
24 contracts as GECC’s liabilities. The GE Trinity SPEs are and were
25 undercapitalized and could not operate, including providing guaranteed
26 investment contracts, without financial support and guarantees provided by
27 GECC. The “guaranteed” in a guaranteed investment contract provided by a GE
v 28 Trinity SPE is the guarantee supplied by GECC. GECC conducted the day-to-day
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 18
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 28 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 19
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 29 of 181
1 entered into by public and non-profit entities and engaged in the misconduct that
2 led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
3 65. Provider Defendants GECC, GE Funding, GE Trinity Funding,
4 and GE Trinity Plus Funding are collectively referred to herein as “GE Trinity.”
5 66. Provider Defendant Natixis Funding Corp. f/k/a Ixis Funding
6 Corp. f/k/a CDC Ixis Funding Corp. f/k/a CDC Funding Corp (“CDC
7 Funding”), a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC (defined below), is a New York
8 corporation with its principal place of business in New York, NY. As a member
9 of the conspiracy, CDC Funding acted as a counter-party to Municipal Derivatives
10 entered into by public and non-profit entities and engaged in the misconduct that
11 led to the harm suffered by SMUD. CDC Funding also functioned in some
12 transactions as a broker, and is also referenced herein as one of the Broker
13 Defendants. All guaranteed investment contracts issued by CDC Funding were
14 guaranteed by CDC and its ability to act as a provider of guaranteed investment
15 contracts was contingent upon the guarantee provided by CDC.
16 67. Provider Defendant Natixis S.A., f/k/a Ixis CIB, f/k/a/ CDC
17 Finance-CDC IXIS, (“CDC”), is a French corporation with its principal place of
18 business in Paris, France. CDC wholly owns CDC Funding and fully consolidates
19 operations of CDC Funding into CDC’s financials. According to its registration
20 documents, CDC only fully consolidates those subsidiaries that CDC controls.
21 CDC and CDC Funding, moreover, have shared certain executives, including
22 Anthony Orastelli, who is currently a CDC Director and in the last five years has
23 occupied a number of executive opinions at CDC and CDC Funding, including but
24 not limited to, President of CDC Funding Corp. and Member of CDC’s Executive
25 Board. CDC guaranteed all guaranteed investment contracts issued by CDC
26 Funding. According to court filings in a case related to the instant case by an
27 outside counsel for CDC, the guarantees provided by CDC were a necessary
v 28 pre-condition of CDC Funding’s ability to serve as a counter-party all of the
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 20
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 21
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 31 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 22
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 32 of 181
1 provider of Municipal Derivatives. In XL Capital’s 10-K filing for the year 2008,
2 it lists over one hundred and twenty-five wholly owned subsidiaries of XL Capital,
3 including XL Asset Funding I, LLC and XL Life And Annuity Holding Company.
4 An 8-K filing by XL Capital on July 28, 2009 lists XL Asset Funding I, LLC as
5 one of only eight “significant subsidiaries” of XL Capital.
6 72. XL Capital undercapitalized XL Asset Funding I, LLC and XL
7 Capital Assurance Inc., and neither XL Asset Funding I, LLC nor XL Capital
8 Assurance Inc., could operate, including providing or guaranteeing guaranteed
9 investment contracts, without financial support and guarantees provided ultimately
10 by XL Capital. XL Asset Funding I, LLC and XL Capital Assurance Inc., until at
11 least June 30, 2008, acted as an agent and/or alter ego of XL Capital in actions
12 taken by each relating to, concerning, or connected with, the issuance of a
13 Municipal Derivative to a municipality or non-profit entity. XL Capital, directly
14 and/or through XL Asset Funding I, LLC, XL Life and Annuity Holding
15 Company, and/or, until at least June 30, 2008, XL Capital Assurance Inc. engaged
16 in the conduct that led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
17 73. Provider Defendant Syncora Guarantee, Inc., f/k/a XL Capital
18 Assurance Inc. (“XL Capital Assurance”), a wholly owned operating company
19 and subsidiary of Syncora Holdings, Ltd., is a financial guaranty insurance
20 company domiciled in New York. XL Capital Assurance provided financial
21 guarantees of all the Municipal Derivatives to which XL Asset Funding I LLC was
22 a counter-party. The guarantees provided by XL Capital Assurance were
23 necessary pre-conditions of XL Asset Funding I LLC’s ability to serve as a
24 counter-party to all of the Municipal Derivatives to which XL Asset Funding I
25 LLC acted as a counter-party or sought to act as a counter-party. The
26 “guaranteed” of a guaranteed investment contract issued by XL Asset Funding I
27 LLC was a guarantee from XL Capital Assurance. XL Capital Assurance was
v 28 directly involved in the municipal derivatives business activities of XL Asset
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 23
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 33 of 181
1 Funding I LLC, including but not limited to providing XL Asset Funding I LLC
2 with information, identification of business opportunities and other assistance to
3 XL Asset Funding I LLC in its marketing of municipal derivatives and providing
4 XL Asset Funding I LLC with surveillance-related information on XL Capital
5 Assurance’s existing insured credits. XL Capital directly and through XL Asset
6 Funding I LLC engaged in the conduct that led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
7 74. Provider Defendant Syncora Holdings, Ltd., f/k/a Security Capital
8 Assurance Ltd. (“Syncora”) is a Bermuda corporation with its principal place of
9 business in Hamilton, Bermuda. On March 17, 2006, XL Capital formed Syncora
10 Holdings, (f/k/a Security Capital Assurance Ltd.), for the purpose of transferring
11 to it ownership of XL Capital Assurance, then a wholly-owned subsidiary and
12 operating business of XL Capital. On July 1, 2006, XL Capital contributed all of
13 its ownership interests in XL Capital Assurance to Syncora. Between August 4,
14 2006 and June 6, 2007, XL Capital sold 54% of its voting and ownership interests
15 in Syncora, through a series of initial public offerings. On December 31, 2007,
16 based on the evaluation of its executives of Syncora’s financial health, XL Capital
17 reduced the reported value of its 46% interest in SCA to nil. On August 5, 2008,
18 XL Capital, Syncora, and various Syncora entities executed a master agreement,
19 which inter alia purported to transfer all of XL Capital’s residual liabilities
20 resulting from Municipal Derivatives guaranteed to XL Capital Assurance to
21 Syncora. Syncora is liable as a successor for the conduct engaged in by XL
22 Capital Assurance that led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
23 75. Provider Defendant XL Asset Funding I, LLC (“XL Asset”), a
24 wholly owned subsidiary of XL Capital (through inter alia XL Life and Annuity
25 Holding Company), is a Delaware limited liability company with its principal
26 place of business on 20 N. Martingale Rd., Suite 200, Schaumburg, Illinois. As a
27 member of the conspiracy, XL Asset was a counter-party to Municipal Derivatives
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 24
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 34 of 181
1 entered into by public and non-profit entities and engaged in the misconduct that
2 led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
3 76. Provider Defendants XL Life and Annuity Holding Company (“XL
4 Holding”), a wholly owned subsidiary of XL Capital Ltd., is a Delaware limited
5 liability company with its principal place of business on 20 N. Martingale Rd.,
6 Suite 200, Schaumburg, Illinois. XL Holding, directly or through its designees,
7 managed and operated XL Asset, and provided XL Asset with all administrative
8 support necessary for XL Asset to act as counter-party to Municipal Derivatives
9 entered into by public and non-profit entities. XL Holding through, and as, XL
10 Asset acted as a counter-party to Municipal Derivatives entered into by public and
11 non-profit entities, and directly and/or through XL Asset engaged in the
12 misconduct that led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
13 77. Provider Defendants XL Capital, XL Capital Assurance, Syncora
14 XL Asset, and XL Holding and are collectively referred to herein as “XL.”
15 78. Provider Defendant The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (“GS
16 Group”), is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in New
17 York, New York. As a member of the conspiracy, Defendant GS Group directly
18 and/or through its subsidiaries Defendant Goldman Sachs Mitsui Marine
19 Derivative Products, L.P. and/or Goldman Sachs Bank USA f/k/a Goldman Sachs
20 Capital Markets, L.P., was a counter-party to Municipal Derivatives entered into
21 by public and non-profit entities and engaged in the misconduct that led to the
22 harm suffered by SMUD.
23 79. Provider Defendant Goldman Sachs Mitsui Marine Derivative
24 Products, L.P., is a Delaware limited partnership and a joint venture between
25 Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance Co. Ltd. and Defendant GS Group. Defendant GS
26 Group Is jointly obligated with Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance Co. Ltd. to satisfy
27 any obligations of Goldman Sachs Mitsui Marine Derivative Products, L.P., and is
v 28 responsible for the management of the Goldman Sachs Mitsui Marine Derivative
LA W O F F IC E S
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MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 25
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COMPLAINT 26
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COMPLAINT 27
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1 profit entities, IMAGE acted as a member of the conspiracy that caused significant
2 harm to public and non-profit entities, including SMUD.
3 89. Broker Defendant First Southwest Company (“First Southwest”) is
4 a corporation with its principal place of business in Dallas, Texas. As a broker of
5 Municipal Derivatives to public and non-profit entities, First Southwest acted as a
6 member of the conspiracy that caused significant harm to public and non-profit
7 entities, including SMUD.
8 90. Broker Defendant PFM Group, Inc. (“PFM Group”) is a
9 Pennsylvania corporation with its principal place of business in Abington, PA. As
10 a broker of Municipal Derivatives to public and non-profit entities, PFM Group,
11 directly and through its wholly owned subsidiary PFM Asset Management LLC,
12 acted as a member of the conspiracy that caused significant harm to public and
13 non-profit entities, including SMUD.
14 91. Broker Defendant PFM Asset Management LLC (“PFM Asset”) is
15 a Pennsylvania corporation with its principal place of business in Philadelphia,
16 PA. As a broker of Municipal Derivatives to public and non-profit entities, PFM
17 Asset acted as a member of the conspiracy that caused significant harm to public
18 and non-profit entities, including SMUD.
19 92. Broker Defendants PFM Group and PFM Asset are collectively
20 referred to herein as “PFM.”
21 C. Named and Unnamed Co-conspirators
22 93. Provider co-conspirator Financial Guaranty Insurance Company
23 (“FGIC”) is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in New
24 York, NY. As a member of the conspiracy, FGIC was a counter-party to
25 Municipal Derivatives entered into by public and non-profit entities and engaged
26 in the misconduct that led to the harm suffered by SMUD.
27 94. Provider co-conspirator AIG Matched Funding Corp.
v 28 (“AIGMFC”) is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in
LA W O F F IC E S
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PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 28
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 29
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COMPLAINT 30
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COMPLAINT 31
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1 110. Municipal bonds are tax-exempt and as a result, investors are usually
2 willing to accept lower interest rates from municipal bonds than they would accept
3 from other forms of borrowing (assuming comparable risk). This makes issuance
4 of municipal bonds an attractive fiscal option for many public entities, and, as a
5 result, the municipal bond industry is extremely large. According to the Securities
6 Industry and Financial Markets Association, approximately $385 billion worth of
7 municipal bonds were issued in 2006. The total United States municipal bond
8 market is currently valued at approximately $2.6 trillion. At any time, public
9 entities in California have several thousand bond issuances outstanding. The total
10 market value of the California bond market is approximately $200 billion or more.
11 In 2007, it is estimated that California public entities issued approximately $20
12 billion of municipal bonds.
13 111. Traditionally municipal bonds pay interest to bond holders at either a
14 fixed or variable rate of interest that is pegged to some kind of index such as the
15 London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) (the standard for quoting interbank
16 lending of Eurodollar deposits), or the Security Industry & Financial Markets
17 Association Index (“SIFMA Index”). The issuer of a municipal bond receives a
18 cash payment at the time of issuance. In return, the issuer agrees to repay the
19 principal and the interest to the bond holders over time. Repayment periods vary
20 and may be as short as a few months but typically lasts for several years, often
21 several decades.
22 112. In recent years, bond issuers have, in increasing numbers, issued two
23 other types of bonds, variable rate demand bonds (“VRDBs”) and auction rate
24 securities (“ARS”). Both VRDBs and ARSs, through slightly different
25 mechanisms, are designed to allow issuers of long-term bonds to take advantage of
26 short-term interest rates by “re-marketing” the bonds on a weekly or monthly
27 basis. Both types of bonds are also frequently associated with swaps, through
v 28
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MCCARTHY
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1 which an issuer can seek to gain a synthetic fixed rate that would not otherwise be
2 available to the issuer.
3 113. Proceeds from the issuance of municipal bonds for public projects or
4 construction are typically put into three types of funds. The primary fund is
5 known as the project fund or the construction fund. This fund is used to pay for
6 the actual construction or repair project work. The second fund, which is smaller
7 in nature, is known as the debt service fund, or “sinking fund.” This fund is used
8 to make principal and interest payments to bond holders. The third type of fund is
9 known as the debt service reserve fund. This reserve fund is used to pay debt
10 obligations in case of unforeseen contingencies. Because of the revenue-
11 anticipation purpose and shorter term quality of TRANs and other similar kinds of
12 bonds, proceeds from issuances of these bonds are typically placed in similar but
13 different types of funds than traditional bonds.
14 B. Municipal Derivatives Basics
15 114. “Municipal Derivatives” refers to a variety of specialized investment
16 vehicles through which issuers of municipal and tax-exempt bonds seek to:
17 (1) earn a return on bond proceeds while those proceeds are unused; (2) hedge the
18 interest rate obligations of underlying bonds; and/or (3) accomplish other
19 financial goals. The Municipal Derivatives industry is almost as large as the
20 municipal bond market. A substantial portion of the $400 billion annually spent
21 on municipal bonds is invested annually in Municipal Derivatives with almost $40
22 billion in California alone.
23 115. All Municipal Derivatives, whatever the purpose they are designed to
24 achieve for the issuer, involve a reciprocal exchange of money between the issuer
25 and a Municipal Derivative provider. Unless otherwise specified, as used in this
26 Complaint, the term “Municipal Derivatives” generically encompasses all of the
27 transactions described herein.
v 28
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 34
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PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 35
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1 2. Forward Agreements
2 122. A forward agreement is often used with debt service funds. It is an
3 agreement where the buyer and the seller agree to settle their respective
4 obligations at some specified future date based upon the current market price at
5 the time the contract is executed. A forward agreement may require the delivery
6 of a specified security at a specified future date at fixed yields for the purpose of
7 optimizing the investment of a debt service reserve fund. A forward agreement
8 may also be used to require an issuer to issue, and a company to underwrite, an
9 issuance of bonds on a specified date in the future for the purpose of refunding an
10 outstanding debt issuance.
11 3. Advanced Refunding Escrow
12 123. Public and non-profit entities can issue bonds to refinance prior bond
13 issuances. An advanced refunding escrow is an arrangement pursuant to which
14 the proceeds of the refunding issue (the new bond issued to refund an outstanding
15 bond) are held in escrow and invested so that the escrow account funds can be
16 used to pay off the principal and interest on the municipal bond issue that is being
17 refunded.
18 124. GICs, forward agreements, and advanced refunding escrows are
19 collectively referred to herein as “reinvestment derivatives.”
20 4. Swaps
21 125. A swap is an exchange of future cash flows (i.e., periodic payments)
22 between an issuer and a provider.
23 126. Swaps are generally used by issuers to hedge interest rate obligations
24 on underlying municipal bonds, but can also be used to achieve other financial
25 goals including gaining access to synthetic fixed rates that are not otherwise
26 available to the issuer.
27 127. In a swap transaction, the issuer and provider essentially trade or
v 28 “swap” future cash flows. Swaps include: (a) floating-for-fixed interest rate
LA W O F F IC E S
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PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 36
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1 swaps, (b) fixed-for-floating rate swaps, and (c) floating-for-floating interest rate
2 swaps, when the two instruments are based off of different indices.
3 128. While issuers sometimes enter into swaps and other types of hedging
4 derivatives for investment purposes, issuers usually enter into them to hedge their
5 interest rate obligations related to a particular bond issuances
6 129. In recent years, it has become increasingly common for issuers to
7 combine interest rate swaps with VRDB or ARS bond issuances, the interest rates
8 on which are reset on regular short-term bases, such as on weekly or monthly
9 bases. In the swaps associated with these types of bonds, the issuer receives from
10 the swap provider a floating interest rate that is supposed to approximate the short-
11 term interest rates that the issuer will be obligated to pay holders of the bonds; in
12 exchange, the issuer pays a swap provider a conditioned fixed interest rate.
13 a. Basic Swap Valuation - Logic of “Rational Pricing”
14 130. Underpinning a legitimate swap transaction is the logic of “rational
15 pricing.” According to the logic of rational pricing, when an issuer and provider
16 enter into a swap transaction, the present values (“PV”) of the exchanged future
17 cash flows should be equal or “netted off” against one another. (Present value is
18 the value on a given date of a future payment or series of future payments,
19 discounted to reflect the time value of money and other factors such as investment
20 risk.) Another way to put this is that the net present value (“NPV”) of the swap
21 should be zero or “arbitrage free,” at the date of its initiation. In other words, a
22 swap should involve the exchange of future cash flows that have roughly equal
23 values.
24 131. In the fixed-for-floating rate example described above, where the
25 issuer pays a fixed rate and the provider pays a floating rate, the PV of future fixed
26 rate payments by the issuer should be equal to the present value of the expected
27 future floating rate payments by the provider. In other words again, the exchange
v 28
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1 should be a wash, with the issuer and provider exchanging future cash flows of the
2 same PV.
3 132. If, as it should be, the NPV of the swap, as to parties that entered into
4 it, is zero, neither party’s motivation for entering the swap should be based on any
5 belief that they have received a more valuable future cash flow in exchange for a
6 less valuable future cash flow. Again, the NPV of the cash flows should be zero;
7 on the market, the cash flow is worth the same. Rather, each party’s motivation
8 for entering the swap should be based on each party’s respective comparative
9 advantage based on access to different borrowing markets.
10 133. In our example, the issuer enters into the swap because it believes that
11 the PV of the floating rate the issuer will receive from the provider will be more
12 than the PV of the floating rate cash flows that the issuer will be obligated to pay
13 bond holders, both calculated over the life of the bond. In other words, the
14 issuer’s access to the ARS and VRDB markets should give it a comparative
15 advantage vis-á-vis the provider as to floating interest rates: the provider has to
16 pay the issuer a higher floating interest rate than the issuer has to pay bond
17 holders. The provider, in turn, enters into the swap because it believes that the PV
18 of the fixed rate payments that the provider will receive from the issuer is greater
19 than the PV of fixed rate payments that the provider would be obligated to pay
20 another lender. In other words, the provider has a comparative advantage vis-á-vis
21 the issuer as to fixed rates: the issuer has to pay the provider a higher fixed rate
22 than the provider has to pay another lender.
23 134. Thus, when the NPV of a swap is not zero, but rather the NPV is
24 significantly greater for the provider than for the issuer and no up-front payment is
25 made by the provider to the issuer, the reasonable conclusion is that the
26 transaction has been manipulated to the advantage of the provider. Again, the
27 NPV should be zero as between the issuer and the provider. The financial benefit
v 28 to providers should be derived from their comparative advantage concerning
LA W O F F IC E S
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PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 38
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1 access to the borrowing markets in question, not cheating the issuers with whom
2 they enter into the swaps.
3 135. However, as alleged below, there are several publically reported
4 instances where issuers have lost billions of dollars as a result of unfairly valued
5 swaps in which evidence of price collusion amongst supposed competing
6 providers has been identified. Moreover, a preliminary analysis of several swap
7 transactions entered into by various California cities, counties and government
8 agencies reveals that significant mis-pricing occurred in favor of the swap
9 providers, and there exists probative evidence that the mis-pricing was the result
10 of collusion between swap providers.
11 136. Finally, evidence originally uncovered by SMUD and now widely
12 reported, as well as evidence provided by Bank of America, demonstrates how
13 pricing letters prepared by providers to issuers and other means were used by
14 Defendants to both manipulate the terms of swap deals and provide illegal
15 kickbacks to one another.
16 5. Interest Rate Agreements, Options, And Swaptions
17 137. An “interest rate floor agreement” is a financial instrument in which
18 the buyer of the agreement is protected by receiving a guaranteed minimum
19 interest rate (the “interest rate floor”) that can be paid on the debt. Guaranteed
20 payments are made even if the actual interest rate drops below a specified strike
21 rate (the “floor rate”). Interest rate floor agreements are typically used for bonds
22 with variable interest rates. For issuers of municipal bonds, floor agreements are
23 used to provide greater certainty concerning the interest payments that must be
24 paid.
25 138. An “interest rate ceiling agreement” is a financial instrument in which
26 the buyer of the agreement is protected by receiving a guaranteed maximum
27 interest rate (the “interest rate ceiling” or “interest rate cap”). Payments are made
v 28 when the actual interest rate rises above a specified strike rate (the “cap rate”).
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 39
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1 Interest rate ceiling agreements are typically used in bonds with variable interest
2 rates. For issuers of municipal bonds, ceiling agreements are used to provide
3 greater certainty in the interest payments that must be paid.
4 139. A “collar agreement” is a financial instrument that combines a floor
5 agreement with a ceiling agreement. In other words, an issuer can enter a collar
6 agreement to combine an interest rate floor and interest rate ceiling on its variable
7 rate debt. This agreement ensures that interest payments will be within the range
8 set by the collar.
9 140. An “option” is a provision in a bond contract where the provider has
10 the right, on specified dates, after giving required notification, to cancel or
11 terminate the Municipal Derivative.
12 141. A “swaption” is a combination of a swap and an option.
13 142. Swaps, interest rate agreements, collars, options, and swaptions are
14 collectively referred to herein as “hedging derivatives.”
15 143. Several qualities of all these types of Municipal Derivatives
16 encouraged and facilitated the Defendants conspiracy to allocate the market for
17 them and depress their terms. These factors include but are not limited to: the
18 complexity of the their terms, makes them difficult to value and provides
19 opportunities to hide or disguise the results of manipulation; the significant
20 barriers of entry to the market for Municipal Derivatives due to their complexity
21 and the capital requirements that potential providers need to meet in order to have
22 required credit ratings, and applicable regulations; and the fungibility of
23 Municipal Derivatives that share the same terms and come from similarly rated
24 providers.
25
26
27
v 28
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MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 40
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1 V.
2 DEFENDANTS’ ILLEGAL MANIPULATION OF THE
MUNICIPAL DERIVATIVE MARKET
3
4
A. Overview Of Defendants’ Illegal Conspiracy
5
144. Defendants illegal conspiracy was based on a web of interlocking
6
relationships between Provider Defendants, Broker Defendants, and the people
7
employed by them, who eschewed competition with one another in favor of
8
cooperation that ensured the Defendants made excessive illegal profits, and that
9
issuers, including SMUD, were denied the benefits of competition.
10
145. Defendant Bank of America’s CW explained that “he learned that his
11
was a business about doing favors, generating referrals for brokers, and getting
12
favors in return.”
13
146. As the CW more colorfully put it in a conversation with Sam Gruer of
14
Defendant JP Morgan at a Christmas Party held by Broker Defendant IMAGE, at
15
Sparks Steakhouse in New York City, Provider Defendants, with the assistance of
16
Broker Defendants, worked cooperatively instead of “kicking each other’s teeth
17
out.”
18
147. However, “kicking each other’s teeth out” is what competitors like
19
Defendant JP Morgan and Defendant Bank of America are supposed to do.
20
Municipal Derivative providers should be competing with one another to offer the
21
best economic deal to SMUD and other issuers on the basis of the Municipal
22
Derivative terms, including interest rates, dates of deposits or payments, fees,
23
credit worthiness, and other factors. Municipal Derivative brokers, as fiduciaries
24
of the issuers, are supposed to work on behalf of issuers to help facilitate issuers
25
achieve the best economic deal from competing providers, and should be
26
competing with one another in terms of the quality of such services they provide,
27
including the fees they charge, etc.
v 28
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COMPLAINT 41
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1 148. Defendants conspiracy denied SMUD and other issuers such benefits
2 from this competition. SMUD suffered from the effects wrought by the denial of
3 competition and was injured thereby, not only in particular Municipal Derivative
4 transactions in which overt collusion occurred, but all Municipal Derivative
5 transactions into which it entered during the period of the conspiracy and
6 thereafter. The pervasiveness of the conspiracy, the inter-transactional character
7 of much of the conspiratorial conduct, and the participation in the conspiracy of
8 most if not all the major Municipal Derivative providers and brokers had market-
9 wide effect on the terms of all Municipal Derivative transactions during the period
10 of the conspiracy and afterwards.
11 1. Mechanics Of The Conspiracy
12 149. The Defendants’ conspiracy had three major components: (a) rigging
13 auctions for reinvestment and hedging derivatives; (b) manipulation of negotiated
14 deals, particularly for hedging derivatives; and (c) provision of illegal kickbacks
15 and other types of covert consideration to other members of the conspiracy.
16 Unifying its various components was an understanding and agreement that
17 Provider Defendants would, with the assistance of Broker Defendants, cooperate
18 with one another in a you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours arrangement, whereby
19 Municipal Derivative transactions were allocated amongst Provider Defendants
20 and Provider Defendants were able to win those deals on terms that would not
21 have been possible in a competitive market.
22 a. Bid-Rigging Of Auctions
23 150. One of the principal means by which competition between Municipal
24 Derivative providers is supposed to occur are through Municipal Derivative
25 auctions. These auctions were one of the principal forums for manipulation by
26 Defendants.
27 151. In a formal Municipal Derivative auction, the issuer, directly, through
v 28 its broker, or via other means, solicits formal written bids from prospective
LA W O F F IC E S
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PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 42
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1 Municipal Derivative providers. The bids submitted are evaluated by the bidder to
2 determine which bid represents the best economic deal to the issuer, according to
3 the criteria discussed herein.
4 152. In many instances, the proposed interest rate in the bid is the most
5 important term or component of a bid, representing, for example, in a GIC, the rate
6 of return that the issuer will earn on the principal.
7 153. Because certain Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) regulations
8 applicable to determining the fair market value for GICs and other types of
9 reinvestment derivatives require that a formal auction be held for certain
10 presumptions to apply, formal auctions are most commonly held for GICs and
11 other types of reinvestment derivatives. However, formal auctions are also used
12 by issuers to procure swaps and other types of Municipal derivatives.
13 154. The U.S. Treasury Department (“Treasury”) apparently recognized
14 that while these auctions can and should allow issuers to procure Municipal
15 Derivatives on the best possible terms available in the market, the auctions also
16 create a powerful incentive for collusion amongst providers. Accordingly,
17 Treasury enacted rules that effectively require all providers who submit bids in
18 auctions for GIC’s and other types of reinvestment-type Municipal Derivatives to
19 represent to issuers that:
20 [T]hat the potential provider did not consult with any other potential
21 provider about its bid, that the bid was determined without regard to
22 any other formal or informal agreement that the potential provider
23 has with the issuer or any other person (whether or not in connection
24 with the bond issue), and that the bid is not being submitted solely as
25 a courtesy to the issuer or any other person for purposes of satisfying
26 the requirements of paragraph (d)(6)(iii)(B)(1) or (2) of this section.
27
v 28
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COMPLAINT 43
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PITRE &
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1 and publically available information reveal that the following Provider Defendants
2 were pre-selected as winners of particular auctions:
3 • Defendant Bank of America,
4 • Defendant UBS,
5 • Defendant Wachovia,
6 • Defendant CDC,
7 • Defendant NatWest,
8 • Defendant SocGen, and
9 • Defendant JP Morgan.
10 160. Evidence provided by Defendant Bank of America based on
11 testimony by the CW and tapes of conversations of employees of Bank of America
12 employees and publically available information reveal that the following Provider
13 Defendants took actions to assist another Provider Defendant win a particular
14 auction:
15 • Defendant Bank of America,
16 • Defendant JP Morgan,
17 • Defendant Merrill Lynch,
18 • Defendant Morgan Stanley,
19 • Defendant NatWest,
20 • Defendant Piper Jaffray,
21 • Defendant UBS, and
22 • Defendant Wachovia.
23 161. As alleged herein, statistical analyses of bidding patterns in eighty-
24 nine (89) reinvestment derivative auctions reveal probative evidence that the
25 following Provider Defendants took actions to assist another Provider Defendant
26 win a particular auction and/or were pre-selected as winners of particular
27 Municipal Derivative auctions:
v 28 • Defendant BayernLB,
LA W O F F IC E S
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COMPLAINT 45
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1 • Defendant Rabobank,
2 • Defendant JP Morgan,
3 • Defendant XL,
4 • Defendant Wells Fargo,
5 • Defendant MBIA,
6 • Defendant Bank of America,
7 • Defendant CDC,
8 • Defendant SocGen,
9 • Defendant GE Trinity,
10 • Defendant Transamerica;
11 • Defendant FSA; and
12 • Defendant Smith Barney.
13 162. Evidence provided by Defendant Bank of America based on
14 testimony by the CW and tapes of conversations of employees of Bank of America
15 employees reveal that Broker Defendants took actions to assist a Provider
16 Defendant win a particular auction, including, but not limited to the following:
17 • Defendant IMAGE,
18 • Defendant Piper Jaffray,
19 • Defendant CDR,
20 • Defendant Southwest,
21 • Defendant Feld Winters,
22 • Defendant Sound Capital,
23 • Defendant George K Baum, and
24 • Defendant PFM.
25 163. Actions taken by other Provider Defendants in order to assist another
26 Provider Defendant win a particular auction would include, but was not limited to,
27 submitting a courtesy bid that they knew would not be competitive or deliberately
v 28 passing on an auction.
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 46
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PITRE &
MCCARTHY
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1 involved, the CW needed to tell Marty Stallone of Defendant IMAGE that the CW
2 “wanted to win” and “would work with IMAGE.” When the CW conveyed these
3 sentiments to Stallone, Stallone was not surprised and said he would help where
4 and when he could.
5 170. Subsequently, CW would tell Stallone of Broker Defendant IMAGE,
6 if there was a particular auction that the CW wanted to win for Defendant Bank of
7 America. Stallone helped the CW with instructions, including, but not limited to:
8 (a) what he needed to bid for Defendant BofA to win, and (b) whether the CW
9 needed to bid more competitively, (c) that he would get back to him when he had
10 the other bids, (d) whether the CW could lower his bid, and thus increase
11 Defendant BofA’s profit, and still win the auction.
12 171. As the relationship between Stallone and the CW developed, Stallone
13 would unilaterally call the CW and tell him where other providers saw the market.
14 On some deals, Stallone would tell CW that another provider wanted to win.
15 Stallone would tell CW how other providers “saw the market.” CW understood
16 this to mean that he was not to be as competitive, because another Provider
17 Defendant had been pre-selected as the winner of the auction. It was understood
18 that in such situations, that Stallone would act as the intermediary between
19 Defendant BofA and the other Provider Defendants.
20 172. From approximately 1999 through 2003, the other Provider
21 Defendants that the CW recalls being pre-selected as winners of particular
22 Municipal Derivative auctions in this manner, included Provider Defendant UBS,
23 Provider Defendant Wachovia, Provider Defendant CDC, and Provider Defendant
24 JP Morgan.
25 173. The CW also said that there were instances when he knew ahead of
26 time that Defendant Bank of America would win a particular auction, and when
27 another Provider Defendant would win.
v 28
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1 174. The CW indicated that it was helpful if he was able to convince the
2 issuer to engage Defendant IMAGE as the broker for the Municipal Derivative
3 auction. The CW explained that members of Defendant Bank of America’s
4 Municipal Derivative desk did not always have the opportunity to make such a
5 recommendation.
6 175. The CW stated that when a Broker Defendant arranged for Defendant
7 BofA to win sufficient numbers of auctions, the relationship with the broker was
8 referred to as “working out.” He said that members of Defendant BofA’s
9 Municipal Derivatives desk developed a good sense of which relationships with
10 which Broker Defendants were working out in this way.
11 176. Evidence provided by Defendant BofA suggests that Provider
12 Defendant BofA had this type of collusive relationship with Broker Defendants
13 IMAGE, Feld Winters, Sound Capital, and George K Baum and co-conspirator
14 MGIC.
15 177. From approximately 1999 through 2003, the members of Provider
16 Defendant Bank of America’s Municipal Derivative desk were Phil Murphy,
17 Doug Campbell, Jay Saunders, Dee Bradley (William Dee Bradley), Jeff Klein,
18 and Dean Pinard.
19 178. Common code words used by Broker Defendants to communicate to a
20 Provider Defendant that another Provider Defendant desired to be pre-selected as
21 the winner of a particular auction or that the Provider Defendant to whom the
22 communication was made could be pre-selected as the winner, included:
23 • “I think I can help you here.”
24 • “I will call you when I get the market.”
25 • “x company has been working a long time with the market and they
26 see it here.”
27 • “This one needs to go to JP Morgan.”
v 28
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1 • “JP Morgan understands that they just won a big transaction and that
2 BofA wants this one.”
3 179. In situations where a Broker Defendant was not available to act as the
4 intermediary between Provider Defendants, representatives of the Provider
5 Defendants would communicate directly with one another.
6 180. For example, the CW described at least three separate conversations
7 with Sam Gruer of Provider Defendant JP Morgan regarding particular Municipal
8 Derivative auctions. In one such conversation regarding an auction for a specific
9 escrow deal, the CW recalled discussing with Gruer whether Gruer would be
10 bidding in the auction on behalf of Provider Defendant JP Morgan and, if so, how
11 aggressively. In other words, the conversation was to determine whether this was
12 an auction that JP Morgan intended to bid and win.
13 181. In another conversation between the CW and Gruer at the IMAGE
14 Christmas party referenced above, the CW had expressed his happiness to Gruer
15 that they had worked out an arrangement on these types of escrow deals that
16 worked out for both Provider Defendant BofA and Provider Defendant JP Morgan.
17 He further expressed his happiness that Provider Defendant BofA and Provider
18 Defendant JP Morgan had had the opportunity to cooperate in the auctions.
19 182. Provider Defendant BofA and Provider Defendant JP Morgan are
20 supposed to be competitors in Municipal Derivative transactions, not cooperators.
21 183. Other examples of direct conspiratorial communications between
22 representatives of Provider Defendants found on the tapes from Defendant Bank
23 of America’s Municipal Derivatives desk, include a series of conversations
24 between Martin McConnell of Provider Defendant Wachovia and Doug Campbell
25 of Provider Defendant BofA
26 184. For example, in a taped conversation between Martin McConnell of
27 Provider Defendant Wachovia and Doug Campbell of Provider Defendant BofA in
v 28 2002, Campbell tells McConnell that he told Doug Goldberg of CDR that it was
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1 okay if another provider won a deal that CDR brokered and that Defendant
2 PaineWebber won the deal.
3 185. In another taped conversation between McConnell of Defendant
4 Wachovia and Campbell of Defendant BofA, Campbell is heard discussing with
5 McConnell including Defendant BofA in an unidentified Municipal Derivative
6 transaction, apparently in some sort of credit support role. Campbell appears to
7 indicate to McConnell that Defendant Wachovia should agree to the arrangement
8 because Campbell had let Defendant Wachovia win a Municipal Derivative
9 transaction with Broker Defendant Piper Jaffray, with whom Campbell regularly
10 dealt.
11 186. There are also recordings of collusive conversations between Phil
12 Murphy and Doug Campbell, both of Provider Defendant BofA, a Peter at
13 Provider Defendant UBS (likely Peter Ghavami), and an unidentified person at
14 Provider Defendant JP Morgan regarding certain swap transactions, as well as
15 between an unidentified representative of Defendant Bank of America and an
16 unidentified representative of Defendant UBS regarding a certain swap
17 transactions.
18 187. In one such conversation, an unidentified representative of Defendant
19 UBS is heard telling an unidentified representative of Defendant BofA that
20 Defendant UBS was interested in a swap that IMAGE was handling next day. The
21 reasonable inference is that IMAGE was handling an auction for the swap the next
22 day and the representative of Defendant UBS was telling a representative of one of
23 his supposed competitors in such an auction, Defendant BofA, that Defendant
24 UBS would like to win the auction and was seeking an agreement for Defendant
25 BofA to assist Defendant UBS in doing so.
26 188. Swap deals were both negotiated and competitively bid at auction.
27 The conspiracy involved manipulation of the terms in both situations. However,
v 28 the fact that the representative of Defendant UBS refers to Broker Defendant
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1 IMAGE handling the swap the next day suggests that this particular swap was put
2 to auction; in a negotiated deal a broker would not be handling the deal on a single
3 date certain; rather, the negotiation would take place over a period of time.
4 ii. Submitting Courtesy Bids To Help a Pre-Selected
Provider Defendant Win a Municipal Derivative
5 Auction
6 189. Another mechanism of the conspiracy was the submission of a
7 courtesy bid by a Provider Defendant in an auction for the benefit of another
8 Provider Defendant. A courtesy bid is a purposely non-competitive bid that a
9 Defendant Provider submits with no intention of winning the auction but rather to
10 assist another Defendant Provider win the auction.
11 190. According to the CW, Provider Defendants submitted courtesy bids
12 both to assist another Provider Defendant win a particular auction as well as to
13 meet IRS safe harbor conditions. As discussed herein, IRS regulations require that
14 bids be received from at least three providers for a presumption of fair market
15 value to apply. In either case, the submission of a courtesy bid constituted a
16 collusive manipulation of the auction process that affected the terms for particular
17 Municipal Derivative at auction as well as the market for such Municipal
18 Derivatives.
19 191. The practice was so blatant and prevalent that Provider Defendants
20 would bid on deals on which they were not qualified or authorized to bid.
21 192. For example, Defendant IMAGE would sometimes ask the CW to bid
22 on deals even if the CW did not have internal credit approval to do so. Phil
23 Murphy, the CW’s supervisor at Defendant BofA, would instruct the CW to bid on
24 those deals with a vague condition in the bid as a safety net, so that Defendant
25 BofA could back out of it if it won.
26 193. Similarly, the CW described how Defendant Wachovia and
27 Defendant JP Morgan, as well as Defendant NatWest and co-conspirator Lehman,
v 28
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1 would submit bids for certain escrow CDs that neither were qualified to provide
2 under applicable state laws.
3 194. The CW reported that he would be given a “safe range” by Broker
4 Defendant IMAGE Marty Stallone when Stallone would pass along a request for a
5 courtesy bid from him so that the CW would not inadvertently win a bid he didn’t
6 want.
7 195. The CW specifically identified Defendant JP Morgan, Defendant
8 CDC, Defendant UBS, Defendant NatWest, and Defendant Wachovia and co-
9 conspirator Lehman as providers that he knew submitted courtesy bids.
10 196. Information provided by the CW and descriptions of the contents of
11 tapes of conversations of employees on Defendant Bank of America’s Municipal
12 Derivative desk and publically available information indicate that the following
13 Provider Defendants submitted courtesy bids to assist another Provider Defendant
14 win a particular auction: Defendant Bank of America, Defendant JP Morgan,
15 Defendant NatWest, Defendant Wachovia, Defendant CDC, Defendant Merrill
16 Lynch, and Defendant UBS.
17 197. The same information reveals that the following Provider Defendants
18 benefitted from the submission of courtesy bids by other Provider Defendants:
19 Defendant Bank of America, Defendant JP Morgan, AIG, and Defendant NatWest.
20 198. A statistical analysis of bidding patterns in eighty-nine (89)
21 reinvestment derivative auctions reveals evidence probative of submission of
22 courtesy bids by the following Providers: Defendant BayernLB, Defendant
23 Rabobank, Defendant JP Morgan, Defendant XL, Defendant Wells Fargo,
24 Defendant MBIA, Defendant Bank of America, and Defendant Transamerica.
25 199. The same analysis reveals evidence probative of the receipt of the
26 benefits of the submission of courtesy bids by the following Provider Defendants:
27 Defendant MBIA, Defendant CDC, Defendant SocGen, Defendant GE Trinity,
v 28 Defendant FSA, Defendant Transamerica, and Defendant Smith Barney.
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1 auctions for such deals for the benefit of Defendant BofA. Sometime in
2 1999-2001, Broker Defendant IMAGE’s Stallone told the CW to “back off” on a
3 deal because it was one that NatWest could do (apparently in recognition for the
4 similar courtesy bids that Defendant NatWest had submitted for the benefit of
5 Defendant Bank of America).
6 204. The CW also recalled instances where Stallone of Broker Defendant
7 IMAGE would tell him regarding Martin McConnell of Defendant Provider
8 Wachovia’s municipal derivatives desk: “I can get Martin to get a number on
9 this.” This meant that Stallone could get Defendant Wachovia to submit a
10 courtesy bid.
11 205. Tapes also reveal a conversation in 2002 between Defendant Bank of
12 America’s Murphy and David Schott, possibly of Lasalle Financial asking Murphy
13 to bid on a deal even if Defendant BofA isn’t interested in the deal, because
14 another bid is needed.
15 206. The tapes also reveal a conversation in 2002 in which Defendant
16 Bank of America’s Doug Campbell offers to Doug Goldberg of CDR to submit a
17 bid if it is needed. A Municipal Derivative provider should be submitting a bid
18 because it wants to compete for the Municipal Derivative at auction, not because
19 another Municipal Derivative provider would like to use the bid’s existence to win
20 the Municipal Derivative.
21 207. The CW also related how Stallone of Broker Defendant IMAGE told
22 him in regards to a deal that Rob Taylor at Lehman didn’t want business, but
23 would submit a bid.
24 208. The CW also relate how Stallone of Broker Defendant IMAGE told
25 him that he could get Mike Frasco of Broker/Provider Defendant CDC to submit
26 bids. This was significant because CDC did not participate in many Municipal
27 Derivative transactions as a provider. CW ran into Frasco in 2003 at the Plaza
v 28 hotel in New York. Frasco told the CW that “CDC does not rig bids, but it did
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1 submit bids that it did not expect to win.” Frasco indicated that this distinction
2 was purportedly based on the proposition that Defendant CDC would take the
3 business for which it did win.
4 209. A series of conversations between unidentified Defendant Bank of
5 America employees and employees of Broker Defendants from 2004 reveals
6 further evidence of courtesy bidding by Defendant Bank of America.
7 210. For example, in a conversation recorded on July 20, 2004, Mike
8 Harris, an employee of Broker Defendant PFM, requested that Dan Epeneter at
9 Defendant BofA put in a bid on the Bridgeport escrow float, because a third bid
10 was needed to meet the IRS’s safe harbor conditions.
11 211. In a conversation recorded on July 26, 2004 between a representative
12 of Broker Defendant Piper Jaffray and an unidentified Municipal Derivatives desk
13 employee of Defendant BofA, the BofA employee is heard saying that he is
14 considering passing on an unnamed deal set later that day. The representative of
15 Piper Jaffray is heard asking in response whether BofA would bid anyway. The
16 BofA employee responds that he is considering bidding on a number of deals.
17 212. In a conversation recorded on July 28, 2004 between two unidentified
18 employees of Defendant BofA, the employees are heard discussing whether
19 Defendant BofA should submit or pass on a bid requested by Broker Defendant
20 Piper Jaffray. One of the BofA employee tells an employee at the Municipal
21 Derivative’s desk of BofA to ask whether Piper Jaffray already has three bids, in
22 which case BofA can pass.
23 213. In a conversation recorded on July 28, 2004 between a member of
24 Defendant Bank of America’s Municipal Derivatives desk and a representative of
25 Broker Piper Jaffray, the BofA employee is heard telling the Piper Jaffray
26 representative that BofA intends to pass in a particular Municipal Derivative
27 auction. The broker responds that he needs a bid. The BofA employee responds
v 28 that he will call back with a bid.
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24 217. One of the means by which Provider Defendants would act to assist a
25 pre-selected winner prevail in a particular auction was by passing on an auction
26 that it otherwise would have bid on.
27 218. Evidence provided by Defendant Bank of America based on
v 28 testimony by the CW and tapes of conversations of employees of Defendant Bank
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1 did not change its bid. Both Towne and Campbell are heard discussing how crazy
2 it was that Defendant Morgan Stanley did not change its bid in this instance.
3 227. Code words used by Broker Defendants to give last looks or to
4 indicate their willingness to do so included:
5 • “I think I can help you here.”
6 • “I will call you when I get the market.”
7 v. The Pre-Selected Provider Defendant Gets Guidance
and The Terms Of Other Bids to Ensure Winning a
8 Municipal Derivative Auction
9 228. Defendants’ conspiracy also involved the provision of more detailed
10 bidding guidance by Broker Defendants to Provider Defendants, which not only
11 allowed a particular Provider Defendant to win an auction for a particular
12 Municipal Derivative but also to do so on terms that gave the provider the highest
13 possible profit.
14 229. Speaking in 2005, before the DOJ had publically announced that it
15 was engaged in an industry-wide investigation into collusion amongst Municipal
16 Derivative brokers and providers, the Director of the IRS’ Tax-Exempt Bond
17 Office Mark Scott, described amongst the evidence of probative of bid-rigging in
18 municipal derivative transactions “transactions where the winning bid is the only
19 bid high enough to make the deal work.”
20 230. It is clear now that the result of the bidding process was due to the
21 particularized guidance that Defendants provided one another regarding Municipal
22 Derivative auctions that allowed the pre-selected winner to prevail on terms that
23 were no higher than necessary to win the auction and, thus, achieved the maximum
24 level of profit for the pre-selected Provider Defendant.
25 231. One of the principal ways Defendants accomplished this was by the
26 submission of pre-bid “indications” by Provider Defendant which would indicate
27 where they intended to bid at auction.
v 28
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1 232. For the Provider Defendants who were not the pre-selected winner of
2 a particular Municipal Derivative auction, an indication from the pre-selected
3 winner of the auction allowed the other Provider Defendants to craft their courtesy
4 bids so that they would not win the auction. Similarly, these Provider Defendants
5 could submit their own indications to ensure that their intended courtesy bid
6 would not win the auction but would look sufficiently legitimate to assist the pre-
7 selected winner.
8 233. For the Provider Defendant pre-selected as the winner of an auction,
9 the indications submitted by it and other Provider Defendants allowed the pre-
10 selected winner to craft its bid at a level just high enough to win but not higher,
11 maximizing its profit, and depressing the terms that the issuer received.
12 234. For example, the CW described a number of instances where he
13 would submit pre-bid indications on behalf of Defendant Bank of America to
14 Martin Stallone of Broker Defendant IMAGE.
15 235. The CW explained that he would submit an indication to Stallone
16 prior to the bid being due, and then call Stallone to ask if the indication “was a
17 good fit.” Sometimes Stallone would respond by asking “could you get to this
18 number,” indicating that the CW would need to raise the bid for Defendant Bank
19 of America to win the auction, or by saying that indication “looks aggressive,”
20 which would signal to CW to re-work the bid to make it more profitable for
21 Defendant BofA.
22 236. The CW also described how Stallone of Defendant IMAGE would
23 sometimes signal to him that Defendant BofA could lower its bid by five basis
24 points, and thus gain more profit from the auction, by telling the CW that he could
25 include the brokerage fee in the bid. The customary brokerage fee on Municipal
26 Derivative transactions was five basis points.
27 237. The CW explained how a bid was re-worked to be more profitable for
v 28 Defendant Bank of America, and would not always involve lowering the rate of
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1 the agreement, but could involve the other types of adjustments depending on the
2 particular terms of the Municipal Derivative in question. Thus, it could raise or
3 lower interest rates, adjust a flat amount, or adjust a date.
4 238. If the Municipal Derivative was a straight GIC, the CW would
5 reduce the interest rate, which would result in less interest payments to the issuer.
6 If the Municipal Derivative was an escrow, which often were bid based on the
7 total dollar amount the issuer is required to pay the provider for escrow, the CW
8 might increase the amount of money demanded from the issuer. For escrows bid
9 based on date, the later the date, the more beneficial the provider, so the CW
10 would make the date later. If the Municipal Derivative being auctioned was a
11 swap, the adjustment could take different forms depending on the nature of the
12 swap. Thus it could involve lowering the value of the cash flow from the
13 Defendant Bank of America to the issuer, raising the value of the cash flow from
14 the issuer to Defendant Bank of America, or both. How this was done would
15 depend on the nature of the swap.
16 239. Tape evidence of conversations involving Defendant Bank of
17 America employees and representatives of other Defendants demonstrate the
18 pervasiveness of the use of indications in Defendants’ conspiracy.
19 240. For example, the tapes reveal, in the context of a Municipal
20 Derivative transaction involving Santa Barbara County, that Defendant Bank of
21 America’s Phil Murphy gave a representative of Broker Defendant Feld Winters
22 an indication of $200,000, which appears to have referred to Defendant BofA’s
23 expected profit on the deal. The representative of Defendant Feld Winters
24 responded by saying that Defendant Bank of America’s bid would need to be “a
25 little tighter,” only about $150,000. Ultimately, the profit earned by Defendant
26 Bank of America on the deal was around $160,000.
27
v 28
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1 Mateo a price within a one or two basis points of the negotiated terms. This is
2 despite the fact that a preliminary analysis of the swap terms show that the swap
3 was grossly undervalued as to San Mateo.
4 248. It is difficult to understand how both Defendant UBS and Defendant
5 Piper Jaffray could both have provided quotes very close to the terms negotiated
6 with Defendant Salomon Smith Barney and Lehman when those terms were so far
7 off a fair market price, unless Defendant UBS and Defendant Piper Jaffray had
8 coordinated the pricing verification quotes with Defendant Salomon Smith Barney
9 and Lehman (and/or Defendant AIG Financial which ultimately was substituted
10 for Lehman).
11 249. This conclusion is bolstered by the arrangement negotiated between
12 San Mateo and Defendant Salomon Smith Barney and Defendant AIG Financial
13 and Lehman, which gave these parties a right to beat any better quote offered by
14 another provider. The existence of such an arrangement, if communicated to
15 them, would have given Defendant UBS and Defendant Piper Jaffray an additional
16 incentive to comply with a request from Defendant Salomon Smith Barney,
17 Defendant AIG Financial and/or Lehman to provide an artificially low price
18 verification quote.
19 250. Moreover, Bank of America provided evidence, also discussed
20 elsewhere herein, that referrals for providing pricing verification letters were used
21 to compensate members of the conspiracy for other conspiratorial conduct. It is
22 reasonable to infer that the contents of these letters were also manipulated.
23 c. Kickbacks And Other Types Of Unlawful Consideration
24 251. Defendants’ conspiracy was greased by way of “kickbacks” and other
25 types of consideration that Provider Defendants would make to other Provider
26 Defendants and Broker Defendants. This consisted of both making direct
27 payments to some Defendants, as well directing business to other Defendants.
v 28 These practices are another manifestation of the you scratch my back I’ll scratch
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1 yours ethic that animated the conspiracy and affected the entire market for
2 Municipal Derivatives.
3 252. An email sent in June 28, 2002 by Doug Campbell of Provider
4 Defendant Bank of America to Phil Murphy of Provider Defendant Bank of
5 America that SMUD discovered through its independent investigation at the start
6 of this litigation powerfully evinces the role of kickbacks in the Defendants’
7 conspiracy.
8 253. In the email, Defendant Bank of America admits to making kickbacks
9 to Provider Defendants and Broker Defendants, using the proceeds from deals in
10 which those Provider Defendants and Broker Defendants were not even involved
11 but were part of Defendants’ conspiracy.
12 254. The email states: “I believe this list contains all of the situations
13 where BOFA paid an external business contact on a transaction where the
14 external business contact was not involved in some ways in the transaction.”
15 The email goes on to list a series of payments to Broker Defendant CDR, Broker
16 Defendant Winters, Provider/Broker Defendant Piper Jaffray and Paine Webber,
17 Inc. (part of Provider Defendant UBS), totaling $182,393, along with references to
18 the Municipal Derivative transactions from which the moneys were derived.
19 ///
20 ///
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
v 28
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10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18 255. Among the interesting elements of the email are the reasons that
19 Campbell gives for making the payments.
20 256. Particularly revealing is the statement: “The CDR fees have been
21 part of an ongoing attempt to develop a better relationship with our major
22 brokers.” The “better relationship,” which the email states Defendant Bank of
23 America is attempting to develop with CDR has to do with positioning Defendant
24 Bank of America to benefit from CDR’s conspiratorial conduct.
25
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1 Derivative transaction would pay another provider that had been involved in it.
2 Thus, it is difficult to conceive of a reason why Defendant Bank of America would
3 have been paying Broker Defendants and Provider Defendants involved in
4 particular Municipal Derivative transactions that Defendant Bank of America won,
5 except in consideration for their conspiratorial conduct that assisted Defendant
6 Bank of America win.
7 267. Along these lines, on November 10, 2006, Broker Defendant Baum,
8 which brokered a number of black box deals worth approximately $2 billion,
9 announced that it had paid an undisclosed penalty to the IRS. As part of that
10 settlement, it was disclosed that Broker Defendant Baum had engaged in bid
11 rigging in which Defendant Baum assisted certain providers, including Provider
12 Defendant CDC win particular Municipal Derivative transactions. This permitted
13 pre-selected providers, including Defendant CDC Funding, to obtain “sweetheart
14 deals” on the Municipal Derivative transaction. There is evidence that these
15 providers then made payments to Defendant Baum in consideration.
16 268. The IRS has also investigated a 2000 transaction between Defendants
17 Bank of America and Provider Defendant Baum, where Defendant Bank of
18 America provided a GIC on a $100 million issue from the Illinois Development
19 Finance Authority sold by Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, Inc (“Rural
20 Enterprises”). In July 2003, Rural Enterprises revealed that Defendant Bank of
21 America made “significant” hidden payments to Provider Defendant Baum in
22 connection with the deal.
23 d. Defendants’ Overt Acts To Prevent Discovery Of Their
Conspiratorial Communications
24
25 269. Some or all of Defendants recorded the phone calls and tracked the
26 email communications of their employees during some or all of the period of the
27 conspiracy. For example, Defendant Bank of America taped the phone
v 28 conversations of its employees at its Municipal Derivatives desk until the fall of
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1 submission of courtesy bids, etc.) because of the nature of the industry. The same
2 representatives of different Provider Defendants’ showed up in multiple
3 transactions, often with the same representatives of Broker Defendants. These
4 representatives developed a sense of trust in one another a sense of sharing the
5 benefits of cooperation versus competition.
6 277. The most colorful expression of this sentiment was the CW’s
7 statement to Samuel Gruer of Provider Defendant JP Morgan at a Christmas party
8 hosted by IMAGE in which the CW, who worked at Provider Defendant BofA’s
9 Municipal Derivatives desk, told Gruer that he was glad that Bank of America and
10 JP Morgan weren’t “kicking each other’s teeth out” on a series of deals involving
11 escrows, but were instead working things out so both firms could benefit from the
12 business, a sentiment which Gruer acknowledged sharing.
13 278. Indeed, according to the CW, Stallone of Provider Defendant Image
14 would often say things to the CW such as “this one needs to go to JP Morgan” and
15 “JP Morgan understands that they just won a big transaction and that BofA wants
16 this one.” Sam Gruer was Stallone’s contact at JP Morgan.
17 279. More generally, the CW stated that it was understood that you would
18 win some transactions and that other Provider Defendants would win other. The
19 Defendants’ conspiracy depended and thrived on this understand, which is evinced
20 in multiple transactions in which a Provider Defendant defers from competing
21 with another in exchange for a similar courtesy in a subsequent transaction.
22 b. Personal Relationships Amongst Defendants’
Representatives
23
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1 at Defendant BofA Phil Murphy and Doug Campbell wanted bids, they would say
2 things like “I can do better, I want this bid” to the brokers, and were able to re-bid
3 or adjust bids to brokers.
4 282. Much of the compensation of employees of Defendant BofA’s
5 municipal derivatives desk is based on bonuses that are tied to the amount of profit
6 that the employee generates through the Municipal Derivative transactions that the
7 employee executes. This type of compensation structure appears to be common
8 among Municipal Derivative providers and gives employees of Municipal
9 Derivative providers a personal incentive to participate in illegal conduct that
10 generates higher profits for the Municipal Derivative provider by whom they are
11 employed.
12 283. The CW spoke with Murphy, who told CW that IMAGE would be
13 receptive to the same process. Murphy told CW that he needed to say CW
14 “wanted to win” and “would work with IMAGE.” The CW conveyed this to
15 Marty Stallone of Broker Defendant IMAGE. According to the CW, Stallone was
16 not surprised when the CW expressed these things to him and said he would help
17 where and when he could.
18 284. The CW had, in fact, been recommended for the job at Defendant
19 Bank of America to Phil Murphy as well as Doug Campbell by Marty Stallone and
20 Dave Eckhart of Broker Defendant IMAGE, whom the CW knew through prior
21 public-finance related employment contacts. As soon as he started, the CW was
22 assigned to work with Defendant IMAGE because of his personal relationship
23 with Stallone and Eckhart. Broker Defendant IMAGE indicated to the CW, soon
24 after he started, that Provider Defendant BofA would be included on every
25 Municipal Derivative transaction that IMAGE handled, ensuring that Defendant
26 Bank of America would show up in multiple deals with other Provider Defendants
27 such as JP Morgan with whom IMAGE also had a close relationship.
v 28
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COMPLAINT 75
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1 thirty-five brokers and providers of Municipal Derivatives and initiated FBI raids
2 of three others.
3 306. It is clear now that the problem is industry-wide and the effects of the
4 conspiracy have been felt by every issuer that entered into a Municipal Derivative
5 transaction that occurred during the period of the conspiracy and after.
6 307. Defendants’ conspiracy, by its nature, depended for its operation on
7 cross-transactional conduct, what Scott referred to as “tentacles of abuse.”
8 308. Provider Defendants agreed to allow another Provider Defendant to
9 win a particular auction and, in fact, assisted it in winning the auction, only
10 because they were confident that, in return, they would later be given the same
11 opportunity in a different auction.
12 309. Similarly, Provider Defendants agreed to give falsified price
13 verifications of swaps negotiated by other Provider Defendants, because they
14 understood that in subsequent similar situations they would be extended the same
15 courtesy.
16 310. And Broker Defendants knew that they assisted Provider Defendants
17 in one transaction they would get compensated through others through kickbacks
18 or referrals.
19 311. Provider Defendants collectively understood that by cooperating in
20 this way they could all make tidy profits at the expense of SMUD and other
21 issuers, rather than “kicking each other’s teeth in” through needless competition.
22 And Broker Defendants recognized that they could provide a valuable service to
23 the Provider Defendants by facilitating the conspiracy for which they would be
24 handsomely rewarded.
25 312. As a result of this ever expanding web of inter-locking relationships
26 between collusive conduct in different Municipal Derivative transactions, an ever
27 increasing number of Municipal Derivative transactions became directly involved
v 28 in the conduct.
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11 315. Based on its independent investigation, which included, but was not
12 limited to, discussions with Defendant Bank of America and statistical analyses of
13 bidding patterns and results of various Municipal Derivative transactions entered
14 into by various California issuers, the following Municipal Derivative transactions
15 have been identified, which presents probative evidence of the Defendants’
16 conspiracy.
17 316. However, the following information reflects the restrictions placed by
18 the DOJ on the amount and type of information that Defendant Bank of America
19 has been able to reveal to SMUD, the limitations that the Court has placed on
20 discovery by SMUD, and the strict secrecy that the DOJ has maintained as to the
21 evidence that its ongoing investigation has revealed. Despite that, the list presents
22 a graphic snapshot of the pervasiveness and consistency of Defendants’
23 conspiratorial conduct in transactions for all types of Municipal Derivatives
24 entered into by issuers from coast-to-coast.
25 1. Examples Of The Conspiracy’s Operation In Particular
Municipal Derivative Transactions Identified In The CDR
26 Indictment
27 317. The DOJ’s criminal indictment of CDR and CDR’s principals on
v 28 various charges, including violations of 15 U.S.C. § 1, states that on “numerous
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19 318. The CDR Indictment describes how CDR, Provider A, and “[v]arious
20 other persons and entities, not made defendants herein, [who] participated as co-
21 conspirators,” on numerous occasions, from as early as August 2001 until at least
22 November 2006, manipulated the bidding process for Municipal Derivative
23 auctions so that Provider A would win the auctions at the lowest possible interest
24 rate. In exchange, Provider A would kickback a portion of its resulting illegally
25 inflated profits to CDR and would submit intentionally losing bids in other
26 transactions.
27 319. According to the CDR indictment:
v 28
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COMPLAINT 80
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COMPLAINT 81
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COMPLAINT 82
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1 in the form of “hedge fees” tied to swaps with either Financial A or Financial
2 Institution B tied to the investment agreements in exchange for CDR’s assistance
3 in winning the auctions for the agreements.
4 325. In a telephone conversation, approximately two hours later and 30
5 minutes after the bids were due, Zarefsky of CDR gave Provider A a “last look”
6 on the bids submitted by other providers and suggested that Provider A change the
7 prices that Provider A was otherwise prepared to submit the investment
8 agreements, including lowering the interest rate offered for one of the agreements
9 to a specific number identified by Zarefsky. Provider A agreed and submitted bids
10 at the amounts or levels suggested by Zarefsky.
11 326. On October 23, 2003, after Provider A was awarded the state water
12 authority’s three investment agreements, a Marketer A made arrangements for
13 Provider A to pay CDR a kickback in the form of a hedge fee connected to a swap
14 between Provider A and Financial Institution B that was related to one of the
15 investment agreements with the state water development authority.
16 327. On October 27, 2003, CDR sent an invoice to Financial Institution B
17 for a $4,500 hedge fee in connection with the swap.
18 328. On October 31, 2003, CDR executed a broker’s certificate that,
19 falsely stated: “All bidders had an equal opportunity to bid. No ‘last look’ by any
20 bidder was permitted.”
21 329. That same day, Provider A entered into three investment agreements
22 with the state water development authority.
23 330. On November 3, 2003, CDR received via wire transfer a kickback
24 relating to one of the investment agreements in the form of a $4,500 hedge fee
25 from Financial Institution B in connection with the swap between Provider A and
26 Financial Institution B.
27 331. On November 10, 2003, CDR sent another invoice to Financial
v 28 Institution B for a second $4,500 hedge fee in connection with the swap.
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1 338. On September 30, 2002, CDR received via wire transfer a kickback in
2 the form of a $25,000 hedge fee in connection with the swap between Provider A
3 and Financial Institution A.
4 339. On October 15, 2002, CDR executed a broker’s certificate that falsely
5 stated: “All providers were afforded an equal opportunity to bid (e.g., no provider
6 was given a ‘last look’).”
7 340. On October 15, 2002, Provider A entered into an investment
8 agreement with the municipal port facility at a rate determined through the sham
9 bidding process conducted by CDR.
10 341. Beginning in May 2003, and continuing until at least October 2006,
11 Provider A made semiannual interest payments to the municipal port facility at a
12 rate that was artificially determined.
13 b. Municipal Derivative Transactions Manipulated By
Provider B, CDR, And Co-Conspirators
14
15 342. The CDR Indictment also describes how CDR, Provider B, and
16 “[v]arious other persons and entities, not made defendants herein, [who]
17 participated as co-conspirators,” on numerous occasions, from as early as August
18 1999 until at least November 2006, employed almost the exact same tactics to
19 manipulate the bidding process for Municipal Derivative auctions so that Provider
20 B would win the auctions at the lowest possible interest rate. In exchange,
21 Provider B would kickback a portion of its resulting illegally inflated profits to
22 CDR and would submit intentionally losing bids in other transactions, using the
23 same mechanisms employed by Provider A for these purposes
24 343. The CDR indictment states:
25 [CDR] attempted to increase the number and profitability investment
26 agreements and other municipal finance contracts awarded to
27 Provider B by arranging for Marketer B-1 or B-2 [representatives of
v 28 Provider B] to submit Provider B’s bid last. Before Marketer B-1 or
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COMPLAINT 85
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1 B-2 actually decided what price to bid, [CDR] received and reviewed
2 bids from other providers and gave Marketer B-1 or B-2 information
3 about the prices, price levels or conditions of those bids, including,
4 on occasion, the specific amounts other providers had bid.
5 Marketer B-1 or B-2 then used that information to determine
6 Provider B’s bid. On some occasions, [CDR] told Marketer B-1 or
7 B-2 that he could lower Provider B’s bid and still win the contracts
8 and, further, suggested the exact amount by or to which the bid
9 could be reduced. Marketers B-1 and B-2 followed these
10 suggestions. As a result of information [CDR] gave Marketers B-1
11 and B-2 about the bids from other providers, Provider B was awarded
12 and has performed and is scheduled to perform investment
13 agreements and other municipal finance contracts at artificially
14 determined levels that deprived and will continue to deprive
15 municipalities of money.
16 (emphasis added).
17 344. In an apparent quid pro quo that also gave the process an appearance
18 of legitimacy, “[i]n exchange for controlling and manipulating the bidding for
19 investment agreements and other municipal finance contracts in order to increase
20 the number that and profitability of the agreements and contracts that Provider B
21 won, [CDR] asked Marketer B-1 or B-2 to submit intentionally losing bids for
22 investment agreements or other municipal finance contracts” that would be won by
23 another provider. (emphasis added).
24 345. Other financial institutions were also involved in the mechanisms by
25 which Provider B would kickback some of its illegally earned profits to CDR. The
26 CDR indictment explains:
27 In exchange for controlling and manipulating the bidding for
v 28 investment agreements and other municipal finance contracts in order
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COMPLAINT 86
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5 351. Defendant BofA and Chase Manhattan Bank, now part of Defendant
6 JP Morgan, manipulated a forward purchase agreement entered into by the
7 Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority on August 27, 1998. The
8 terms of the forward purchase agreement were reached through a sham bidding
9 process. IMAGE brokered and was actively involved in the conspiracy to
10 manipulate this transaction. During the bidding process IMAGE told BofA that
11 “this deal had to go to Chase.” In furtherance of the conspiracy, BofA passed on
12 the transaction by either withdrawing its bid or not submitting one. Following
13 completion of the transaction, which JP Morgan won, BofA and JP Morgan
14 entered into a hedging agreement with BofA (a kickback for not entering a
15 legitimate bid) so that BofA would profit from the transaction. As alleged herein,
16 BofA and JP Morgan commonly conspired to manipulate the municipal
17 derivatives market.
18 b. Hillcrest Healthcare System (Oklahoma) Forward Purchase
Agreement
19
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COMPLAINT 88
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1 passed on the deal and Defendant BofA got a sweetheart deal as a kickback for
2 prior deals it had manipulated with JP Morgan and CDR.
3 c. Guam Power Forward Purchase Agreement
4 353. Defendant BofA and Lehman Brothers manipulated a forward
5 purchase agreement entered into by Guam Power on August 30, 2000. IMAGE
6 brokered and was actively involved in the conspiracy to manipulate this
7 transaction for which it received a fee of $350,395. Prior to the completion of the
8 transaction, Stallone of IMAGE was in contact with both Lehman Brothers and
9 BofA regarding the terms of the transaction. Both BofA and Lehman submitted
10 price indications to Stallone. Stallone told BofA “here’s what Lehman is thinking,
11 what are you thinking?” and asked if BofA would split the deal with Lehman
12 Brothers. He also told BofA that it should “move a little” so that the bids would
13 be closer together and Stallone could then suggest that the issuer split the
14 transaction. Taylor of Lehman Brothers was involved on the transaction. When
15 the deal closed it was split between Lehman and BofA just as the conspirators
16 intended.
17 d. Pennsylvania School Districts and Other Entities Escrows
18 354. Defendants JP Morgan, BofA, Wachovia, and Lehman Brothers
19 manipulated a series of transactions which included escrow CDs for Pennsylvania
20 school districts and other entities. During these transactions it was common for
21 the Cooperating Witness and Stallone of IMAGE to discuss the bidding rates. In
22 fact, Stallone would advise the Cooperating Witness that Bank of America was
23 being too aggressive so that BofA could manipulate the transaction to its
24 advantage. CW and Stallone also discussed indications prior to entering several of
25 the transactions.
26 355. Murphy and Campbell of Defendant Bank of America were fully
27 aware that these transactions were manipulated. Moreover, Stallone of Defendant
v 28 IMAGE told the Cooperating Witness that he would elicit courtesy bids from
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COMPLAINT 89
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1 Wachovia, Lehman and JP Morgan. As was often the case in this conspiracy,
2 these entities had no expectations of winning these transactions. Defendant JP
3 Morgan was particularly active in manipulating these transactions. Gruer of
4 Defendant JP Morgan was Stallone’s contact. Gruer reported to MacFaddin of JP
5 Morgan and also worked with Raz and Hertz of JP Morgan who were all involved
6 in advancing the conspiracy.
7 356. Defendant Bank of America won the first ten deals, but when it was
8 JP Morgan’s turn to win, Stallone of Defendant IMAGE would direct Bank of
9 America to submit a courtesy bid. As these transactions progressed, Stallone
10 would tell the Cooperating Witness if Defendant JP Morgan or Defendant Bank of
11 America would be the winning bidder. In several instances, Stallone said that a
12 particular deal “needs to go to JP Morgan.” At one point, Stallone also told the
13 Cooperating Witness that JP Morgan understood that it had just won a big
14 transaction, and that Bank of America wanted this one. This sort of back and forth
15 was a common way that all parties of the conspiracy advanced their own interest at
16 the expense of the issuers. The issuers involved in some of these transactions
17 included:
18 I. The North Penn School District;
19 ii. The Cameron School District;
20 iii. The Downington Area School District;
21 iv. The Avonworth School District;
22 v. The Carnegie Borough School District;
23 vi. The Tyne-Richland School District;
24 vii. The Sto-Rox School District;
25 viii. The Milville Area School District;
26 ix. The City of Scranton School District;
27 x. The Township of Moon;
v 28 xi. The Harbor Creek School District;
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COMPLAINT 90
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COMPLAINT 91
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1 of who would be solicited for the bid. Moreover, there is a taped conversation
2 where Murphy of BofA sought and received bidding information from Feld
3 Winters. In fact, Murphy gave Feld Winters pricing indication on the transaction
4 and Murphy asked about other bidders. In this transaction, Murphy gave an
5 $200,000 indication, and Feld Winters responded he would have to bid a little
6 tighter, only about $150,000. After the complection of the fraudulent transaction,
7 Feld Winters received kickbacks of $12,500 and $17,500 for its involvement in
8 the conspiracy. Taped conversations relating to this transactions reveal that
9 Providers commonly recorded profit in a portfolio managed by a different group
10 other than the traders themselves.
11 h. Art Center College of Design (California)
12 360. Defendant BofA and UBS manipulated a forward purchase agreement
13 and a related swap transaction entered into by Art Center College of Design
14 located in Sacramento, California on May 7, 2002. The terms of the forward
15 purchase agreement were reached through a sham bidding process. CDR brokered
16 and was actively involved in the conspiracy to manipulate this transaction. Zaino
17 of UBS was involved in the in this transaction as well. Tape recorded
18 conversations reveal that Naeh of CDR and Murphy of BofA would discuss
19 outstanding bids and the level BofA would have to bid in order to win the
20 transaction. As alleged herein, taped discussions between Campbell of BofA and
21 Zaino reveal that the two also discussed the pricing terms of and the timing of
22 Bank of America’s bid relating to a transaction involving the Commonwealth of
23 Massachusetts.
24 i. Beacon Tradeport Community Development District
(Florida) and The Olympic Club (California) Transactions
25
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COMPLAINT 94
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1 deal to Naeh & called back to see if indications won deal. At one point Pinard
2 emailed Naeh and told him to “call me on my cell below when you get a Tampa
3 number.” Ultimately, BofA won the auction, and CDR received a $250,000 fee.
4 k. Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Escrow Deposit
Agreements
5
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COMPLAINT 95
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COMPLAINT 96
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1 For this transaction, UBS acted as both the Broker and a Provider and was actively
2 involved in the conspiracy to manipulate this transaction. Taped discussions
3 between Campbell of BofA and Zaino of UBS reveal that the two discussed the
4 pricing terms of the transaction. Moreover, prior to submitting its bid, UBS sent
5 BofA the bid specifications submitted by other Providers. Wachovia ultimately
6 won the transaction. Taped discussions between Campbell and Golberg of CDR,
7 who did not act as a Broker in the transaction, recorded after completion of the
8 transaction, reveal that Campbell was upset with Zaino because he did not deliver
9 the deal to BofA.
10 p. Virgin Islands Debt Service Reserve Fund
11 369. Defendant BofA and Defendant Lehman Brothers were actively
12 involved in the manipulation of a debt service agreement entered into by the
13 Virgin Islands on June 19, 2002. In February of 2002, months before completion
14 of the transaction, Stallone of IMAGE sent Pinard of BofA an email which
15 indicated that Stallone would try to arrange for BofA to win the auction. Leading
16 up to the time of auction, Stallone and Pinard discussed a transaction involving the
17 Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (“Camden”). Based on information
18 contained in various emails between BofA and IMAGE, BofA had arranged to win
19 the Camden transaction, but was unable to win the transaction because Gib
20 Carpenter of IMAGE failed to secure the transaction for BofA. Given IMAGE’s
21 failure relating to the Camden transaction, Stallone of IMAGE promised Pinard of
22 BofA, “I will do my best to make it up on the Virgin Islands Debt Service
23 Reserve Funds.”
24 370. On June 19, 2002, Stallone and Campbell of Defendant BofA
25 discussed what BofA needed to bid to win the Virgin Island transaction. Stallone
26 told Campbell that he would provide a signal to Campbell on what BofA should
27 bid. Stallone also indicated that he would try to get Lehman’s bid before BofA
v 28 submitted their bid. Ultimately, Morgan Stanley won the auction and entered into
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1 a deal with the Virgin Islands. Stallone was apologetic and told Campbell that he
2 would discuss why BofA failed to secure the transaction with Pinard. Campbell
3 indicated that Pinard had similar conversations with other brokers that failed to
4 secure bids for BofA including Rosenberg of Sound Capital and Naeh of CDR.
5 q. New Jersey Transit Corporation Escrow Agreement
6 371. Defendant BofA and Defendant UBS were actively involved in the
7 manipulation of an auction for the sale of securities entered into by the New Jersey
8 Transit Corporation on June 20, 2002. CDR brokered and was actively involved
9 in the conspiracy to manipulate this transaction. Taped conversations reveal that
10 Campbell of BofA, Zaino of UBS and Naeh of CDR exchanged bid and pricing
11 information prior to BofA and UBS submitting their respective bids. As alleged
12 herein, Zaino and Campbell also discussed pricing terms of and the timing of Bank
13 of America’s bid related to a transaction involving the Commonwealth of
14 Massachusetts.
15 r. Tampa Port Authority Forward Purchase Agreement
16 372. Defendant BofA actively manipulated the sale of a forward purchase
17 agreement entered into by the Tampa Port Authority on July 8, 2002. Defendant
18 CDR brokered and was actively involved in the conspiracy to manipulate this
19 transaction. Naeh of CDR actively shared information about the bidding process
20 with BofA. While conspiring to manipulate the transaction, Naeh of CDR sent an
21 email to Pinard of BofA which stated “Its nice to have friends. We’ll call you in a
22 little bit.” Ultimately, Provider Defendant BofA won the transaction. This email
23 underscores the fact that personal connections and repeat business were two of the
24 key factors that drove the conspiracy.
25 s. City of Chicago Wastewater Facility Swap
26 373. Defendants BofA, JP Morgan, and Lehman Brothers colluded to
27 manipulate a trigger swap entered into by the City of Chicago Wastewater Facility
v 28 (“CCWF”) in July of 2004. Mesirow brokered the transaction. Lehman Brothers
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COMPLAINT 98
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1 negotiated the deal with the CCWF and/or Medirow. Bank of America and JP
2 Morgan were given the opportunity to see the terms of the pricing submitted by
3 Lehman and adjust their pricing accordingly, so that Lehman got 60% of the deal
4 and JP Morgan and Bank of America each got 20%. Given the terms of the deal,
5 Mesirow, the broker on the deal, suggested that this arrangement could be subject
6 to scrutiny. This transaction again demonstrates that the close relationship BofA
7 and JP Morgan had in manipulating the municipal derivatives market.
8 t. 2007 Bank of America IRS Settlements
9 374. In early 2007, the IRS settled a series of cases with Defendant BofA
10 relating to its manipulation of various municipal derivative transactions. BofA,
11 Baum, and other co-conspirators were implicated in the manipulation of GICs,
12 debt service reserve funds, and other transactions involving:
13 I. The Orange County, Florida, Health Facilities Authority;
14 ii. The Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facility &
15 Community Development Authority;
16 iii. The Illinois Development & Financial Authority;
17 iv. Oklahoma Rural Enterprises;
18 v. The Western Virginia Hospital Finance Authority; and
19 vi. Henderson County, Kentucky.
20 375. Multiple entities were involved in manipulating these transactions.
21 Lail of Baum was principally involved in each of these transactions. Campbell of
22 Bank of America personally handled transactions for the Western Virginia
23 Hospital Finance Authority, Oklahoma Rural Enterprises, Louisiana Local
24 Government Environmental Facility & Community Development Authority, and
25 Henderson County, and Campbell and Murphy jointly handled the deal for Illinois
26 Development & Financial Authority. Gruer of JP Morgan submitted courtesy bids
27 for each of these transactions, with the exception of the Oklahoma Rural
v 28 Enterprises transaction. A non-defendant provider, whose identity is being kept
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COMPLAINT 99
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1 confidential pursuant to agreement with the Bank of America, did likewise with
2 respect to Henderson County. Frasco of CDC submitted sham bids with respect to
3 Henderson County, the Western Virginia Hospital Finance Authority, and Illinois
4 Development & Financial Authority. Campbell of Bank of America deliberately
5 submitted bids that were less than what was needed to cover the debt service,
6 liquidity, and credit enhancement on the bonds with respect to the Orange County,
7 Florida, Health Facilities Authority and the Louisiana Local Government
8 Environmental Facility & Community Development Authority. Bank of America
9 also indicated that Merrill Lynch conspired with Lail of Provider Defendant Baum
10 to submit a courtesy bid to Henderson County.
11 3. Preliminary Statistical Analysis Of Municipal Derivative
Transactions Of California Issuers Reveals Probative Evidence
12 Of Bid-Rigging
13 a. Evidence Suggesting Courtesy Bids
14 376. A preliminary examination of bidding information for eighty-nine
15 reinvestment derivative auctions conducted on behalf of various California cities
16 and counties suggests that courtesy bids in the Municipal Derivatives market were
17 common. In Table 1, below, are nine reinvestment derivative auctions in which
18 bidding patterns suggest that the auction was affected by courtesy bidding.
19 377. “Courtesy bids” are bids that are too low to be competitive but which
20 are submitted by Provider Defendants to give the appearance of legitimacy to an
21 auction. Courtesy bids are collusive as they are made for the benefit of other
22 Defendant Providers who have been pre-selected to win a particular auction. In
23 fact, among the requirements for a GIC or a yield restricted defeasance escrow to
24 fall within the “safe harbor” provisions of Treasury Regulations for establishing
25 “fair market value,” an issuer must receive at least three (3) bids from potential
26 providers. 26 C.F.R. § 148-5(d)(6)(iii)(B)(1). Submission of courtesy bids
27 ensures that this requirement is met, giving false assurance of fairness to issuers,
v 28 while insulating the pre-selected winner of the auction from real competition. Or
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1 as then IRS Director Mark Scott stated in 2005, these bids are “provided solely as
2 a courtesy so that another banking organization can win on a bid that is below fair
3 market value.”
4 378. IRS Director Scott, in 2005, articulated a rough guideline for
5 determining when a bid submitted in a Municipal Derivative action was likely a
6 courtesy bid: “When a bid is 100 to 150 basis points below the market and there is
7 no justification for that being so low, one of the assumptions you can draw is that
8 there are courtesy bids being provided.”
9 379. According to Director Scott, evidence of these types of abuses is
10 frequently perceptible in bidding behaviors by providers in particular auctions.
11 For example, Director Scott stated, “When a bid is 100 to 150 basis points below
12 the market and there is no justification for that being so low, one of the
13 assumptions you can draw is that there are courtesy bids being provided.” Such
14 bids, Director Scott continued, are “provided solely as a courtesy so that another
15 banking organization can win on a bid that is below fair market value.”
16 380. All potential and actual bidders can be assumed to have access to
17 virtually the same information, including market rates. In fact, Treasury
18 Regulations require that, in order for a presumption of fair market value to apply
19 to a reinvestment derivative procured through auction, that all providers whose
20 bids are solicited for a particular auction be provided with bid specifications that
21 “include all material terms of the bid.”
22 381. Moreover, all potential bidders have the option of passing if they do
23 not want to compete for a particular contract at auction.
24 382. One would expect, therefore, that the range between the lowest and
25 highest bids in a particular auction would be quite narrow. A preliminary analysis
26 of eighty-nine reinvestment derivative auctions conducted on behalf of various
27 California cities, counties, and government agencies confirms this. The median
v 28 spread between the highest and lowest bids in these auctions was approximately
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10
11
12
13
14
15
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COMPLAINT 102
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1 nine reinvestment derivative auctions analyzed; (2) the next lowest bid was 55
2 basis points above Defendant BayernLB’s bid; and (3) the other bids were at
3 least 100 basis points above Defendant BayernLB’s bid. It can be reasonably
4 assumed that Defendant BayernLB would have had the same access to information
5 as other bidders, including market rates and, thus, Defendant BayernLB would
6 have known that this bid was woefully below market rates and had no chance of
7 success.
8 386. As explained above, Defendant BayernLB was under no legitimate
9 obligation to submit a bid in this auction, the most reasonable conclusion is that
10 the bid was submitted as a courtesy to another bidder, most plausibly Defendant
11 MBIA, which won the auction. In fact, it is difficult to explain why Defendant
12 BayernLB would have submitted such a bid, except as a courtesy.
13 387. This conclusion is supported by the submission of Defendant
14 BayernLB of another apparent courtesy bid approximately five and half months
15 later in another GIC auction conducted on behalf of the City of Riverside,
16 discussed herein, again with the apparent intention of benefitting Defendant
17 MBIA.
18 388. Moreover, as also discussed below, Defendant MBIA also appears to
19 have engaged in reciprocal courtesy bid arrangements with Defendant
20 Transamerica that affected at least two auctions conducted on behalf of Los
21 Angeles in 2002 and 2005. Together these events suggest that Defendant MBIA
22 has engaged in a pattern of involvement in bid-rigging that included the
23 submission of courtesy bids by it or other participants in particular auctions. This
24 reinforces the conclusion that unusually low bids that were either submitted by
25 Defendant MBIA, or by another Defendant in an auction in which MBIA won,
26 were in fact courtesy bids.
27 389. Finally, the conclusion that Defendant BayernLB’s unusually low bid
v 28 in this auction was a courtesy bid is supported by Defendant BayernLB publically
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 103
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12 392. Another suspiciously low bid that appears to have been submitted
13 without the hope or intention that bid would be competitive but rather as a
14 courtesy to another bidder is the bid submitted by Defendant Rabobank,
15 represented by John Gallagher in the GIC auction conducted by the City of
16 Riverside on August 1, 2003 (Row 2).
17 393. In the August 1, 2003 auction, Defendant Rabobank submitted a bid
18 of 3.85%, 136 basis points below the winning bid of 5.21%, submitted by
19 Defendant CDC, represented by Vincent Bernardeau. Of the eighty-nine auctions
20 analyzed, this was the second largest spread found and was almost five and half
21 times higher than the median spread. Moreover, Defendant Rabobank’s bid was
22 110 basis points below the next lowest bid. In fact, all of the other bids were
23 tightly concentrated around the 4.95% to 5.21% range, which supports the
24 proposition that participants to the auction all had reasonably equal access to
25 information, including market rates. Thus, given these factors and Defendant
26 Rabobank’s ability to have passed if it was not inclined to compete for the contract
27 offered, it seems most plausible that Defendant Rabobank submitted the bid as
v 28 courtesy, most likely to benefit the auction’s ultimate winner, Defendant CDC.
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 104
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1 394. This conclusion is reinforced by the facts that: (1) as discussed above,
2 Defendant CDC has been implicated in investigations of bid-rigging of a series
3 municipal derivative auctions involving Defendant Baum; and (2) Defendant
4 CDC’s announcement discussed below that one of its employees had received a
5 target letter from the DOJ’s antitrust division, informing him that the DOJ intends
6 to seek his criminal prosecution for participating in the conspiracy alleged herein.
7 395. The other participants who bid in the auction were Defendant FSA
8 represented by Walter Schemitsch and Defendant MBIA represented by Jim
9 Binette.
10 396. Participants who passed in the auction were AIG represented by Chris
11 Toft, Ambac represented by Jessica Carcaterra. Defendant Bayern LB represented
12 by Frank Postiglione, and FGIC, represented by Peter Grimm.
13 iii. Los Angeles World Airports GIC March 5, 1998
(Row 3)
14
15 397. The results of the GIC auction conducted on behalf of Los Angeles
16 World Airports on March 5,1998 (Row 3) suggest that Defendant JP Morgan
17 submitted a courtesy bid for the benefit of WestLB.
18 398. Defendant JP Morgan, represented by Peter Ghavauri submitted a bid
19 of 3.93%, 89 basis points below the winning bid of 4.82% submitted by WestLB
20 represented by Peter Chabot. This is the third largest spread identified in the
21 eighty-nine auctions analyzed and is over three and half times more than the
22 median.
23 399. Moreover, the fact that there are just four bids for the auction also
24 suggests that Defendant JP Morgan submitted the bid as a courtesy. It was a
25 consistent practice amongst co-conspirators to request, receive and submit
26 courtesy bids in order to get the required three bids necessary for the safe harbor
27 provisions of the IRS regulations to apply. The fact that only four bids were
v 28 submitted and the fourth was significantly below the winning bid suggests that the
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 105
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1 submitter of that bid, Defendant JP Morgan, did so not with the intention of
2 prevailing but rather as courtesy.
3 400. This conclusion is supported by the evidence discussed elsewhere
4 herein of the submission of courtesy bids in other auctions by JP Morgan,
5 specifically in auctions run by Defendant CDR, which acted as broker in this
6 auction as well.
7 401. The other bidding participants in this auction were Defendant SocGen
8 represented by Donald Travis and Defendant NatWest represented by Patrick
9 Marsh.
10 402. The providers from whom bids were solicited for this action, but
11 which passed, were AIG represented by Heather Singer, Defendant Bank of
12 America and Bank of New York.
13 iv. City of Riverside GIC February 12, 2004 (Row 4)
14 403. The results of the February 12, 2004 GIC auction conducted on behalf
15 of the City of Riverside suggest that Defendant Rabobank again submitted a
16 courtesy bid, but this time for the benefit of Defendant SocGen.
17 404. Defendant Rabobank, represented by John Gallagher submitted a bid
18 of 2.65%, 85 basis points below the winning bid of 3.50% submitted by
19 Defendant SocGen, represented by Donald Travis. This is the fourth largest
20 spread identified in the eighty-nine auctions analyzed and close to three and half
21 times more than the median. Moreover, the spread between Defendant
22 Rabobank’s bid of 2.65% and the next lowest bid of 3.20% was 55 basis points,
23 while all of the other bids are within 1 to 29 basis points of one another. This,
24 again, supports the proposition that all of the bidders to the auction had reasonably
25 equal access to the same information, including market rate, and that Defendant
26 Rabobank did not submit this bid in the reasonable expectation of it being
27 competitive. Thus, given that Defendant Rabobank could have chosen to pass if it
v 28 was not inclined to competitively bid in this auction, the most plausible
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 106
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1 explanation is that its bid was submitted as a courtesy, most likely for the benefit
2 of the auction’s winner, Defendant SocGen.
3 405. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that SocGen has been
4 implicated in a number of investigations involving bid-rigging of municipal
5 derivative auctions, discussed above.
6 406. The other bidders in the February 12, 2004 auction were Defendant
7 Transamerica, represented by Matt Meaney and Defendant CDC, represented by
8 Vincent Bernardeau.
9 407. Bidders who passed on the auction were AIG represented by Chris
10 Toft, Ambac represented by Jessica Carcaterra, Defendant Bank of America
11 represented by Jay Saunders, Defendant Bayern LB represented by Frank
12 Postiglione, Defendant FSA represented by Steven Goldberg, Defendant JP
13 Morgan represented by Scott Verch, Defendant MBIA represented by Jim Binette,
14 Defendant Merrill Lynch represented by Michele Gesser, Defendant Morgan
15 Stanley represented by Kevin Schwartz, Defendant Salomon Smith Barney
16 represented by Peter Colquitt, Defendant GE Trinity Plus represented by Peter
17 Grimm, and Defendant XL Capital represented by Frank Beardsley.
18 408. Defendant BofA who was represented in this auction by Paul Jay
19 Saunders, who has reportedly received a target letter from the DOJ, informing him
20 that the DOJ intends to seek his criminal prosecution for involvement in the
21 conspiracy alleged herein.
22 v. City of Riverside (California) GIC July 16, 2003
(Row 5)
23
24 409. The results of the July 16, 2003 GIC auction conducted on behalf of
25 the City of Riverside suggest that Defendant XL Asset submitted a courtesy bid
26 for the benefit of Defendant Trinity.
27 410. Defendant XL Asset, represented by K. Brinkman submitted a bid of
v 28 3.81%, which was 73 basis points below the winning bid of 4.55% submitted by
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 107
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1 Defendant Trinity, represented by Peter Grimm. This is the fifth largest spread
2 identified in the eighty-nine reinvestment auctions that were analyzed and is just
3 under three times the median spread. While the difference between Defendant XL
4 Asset’s bid and the other non-winning bids is not as stark as in some of the other
5 auctions discussed, the size of the spread between Defendant XL Asset’s bid and
6 Defendant Trinity’s winning bid, when compared with the spreads identified in the
7 other auctions between lowest and highest bids, is sufficiently large to make it
8 more plausible that Defendant XL Asset submitted the bid as courtesy for another
9 bidder than with the good faith intention to compete for the contract offered. The
10 most likely intended recipient of the courtesy bid was the ultimate winner of the
11 auction, Defendant Trinity.
12 411. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that Defendant Trinity’s
13 sister company, Defendant GE Funding has, as discussed below, received a Wells
14 Notice from the SEC informing it that the SEC intended to bring a civil action
15 against it related to the SEC’s investigation of improprieties in the municipal
16 derivatives market.
17 412. The other participants in the July 16, 2003 auction include AIG
18 represented by Chris Toft, Defendant Bank of America represented by Jay
19 Saunders, Defendant Bayern LB represented by Frank Postiglione, Defendant
20 CDC represented by Vincent Bernardeau, Defendant FSA represented by Walter
21 Schemitsch, Defendant MBIA represented by Jim Binette, and Defendant
22 Rabobank represented by John Gallagher.
23 413. Participants who passed on the July 16, 2003 auction were Ambac
24 represented by Jessica Carcaterra, ARMCo represented by D. Burlage, FGIC
25 represented by Peter Grimm, Defendant JP Morgan represented by Scott Verch,
26 Defendant Morgan Stanley represented by Kevin Schwartz and Defendant
27 Salomon Smith Barney represented by Peter Colquitt.
v 28
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PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 108
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1 414. Defendant BofA was represented in this again auction by Paul Jay
2 Saunders, who has reportedly received a target letter from the DOJ, informing him
3 that the DOJ intends to seek his criminal prosecution for involvement in the
4 conspiracy alleged herein.
5 vi. City of Riverside (California) GIC May 15, 2008
(Row 6)
6
7 415. Manifesting the continuing nature of the conspiracy, the results of the
8 GIC auction conducted on behalf of the City of Riverside on May 15, 2008,
9 suggest that Defendant Wells Fargo submitted a courtesy bid for benefit of
10 Defendant FSA.
11 416. Defendant Wells Fargo, represented by John Carney submitted a bid
12 of 2.32%, which was 71 basis points below the winning bid of 3.03% submitted
13 by Defendant FSA represented by Kevin Connolly. This spread is the sixth largest
14 identified in the preliminary analysis of the eighty-nine reinvestment auctions and
15 close to three times the median spread. Moreover, Wells Fargo’s bid was 39 basis
16 points below the next lowest bid, while all of the rest of the bids are within 15 to
17 17 basis points of one another. Given that it is reasonable to assume that
18 Defendant Wells Fargo had access to same information as other bidders, it does
19 not appear that Defendant Wells Fargo submitted this bid with the intention to
20 compete for the contract at auction. Given that Defendant Wells Fargo was free to
21 pass in the auction, it therefore appears most probable that its bid was submitted as
22 courtesy bid, most likely for the benefit of the ultimate winner of the auction,
23 Defendant FSA.
24 417. This conclusion is supported by Defendant FSA’s reported
25 involvement in other publically reported incidents of suspected bid-rigging in
26 municipal derivative auctions and, as described below, the attention Defendant
27 FSA has attracted in government investigations of the conspiracy alleged herein.
v 28
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PITRE &
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COMPLAINT 109
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1 418. The other participants in the May 15, 2008 auction were Royal Bank
2 of Canada, represented by Frank Postiglione and Defendant Rabobank,
3 represented by John Gallagher.
4 419. A Provider who passed on the auction was Defendant Trinity Funding
5 Company.
6 420. Providers that did not reply for the auction include Defendant Bank of
7 America and Defendant JP Morgan.
8 vii. City of Riverside (California) GIC Nov. 17, 2004
(Row 7)
9
v 28
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PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 110
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 111
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1 429. Reinforcing this conclusion is the fact that only three bids were
2 submitted. As mentioned above, Treasury Regulations require that at least three
3 bids be submitted in order for a presumption of fair market value to apply to GIC
4 procured through auction. Thus, without Defendant MBIA’s bid, the auction
5 would not have met the required qualifications, and Defendant Transamerica could
6 not have won the contract. The fact that Defendant MBIA submitted a bid that
7 had no possibility of being competitive but operated to satisfy these IRS
8 Regulations strongly suggests that Defendant MBIA submitted the bid as courtesy
9 to Defendant Transamerica.
10 430. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that, as described below, in
11 an auction conducted on behalf of the City of Los Angeles almost exactly three
12 years before, on April 2, 2002, it appears that Defendant Transamerica submitted a
13 courtesy bid for the benefit of Defendant MBIA. In other words, it suggests that
14 in the April 27, 2005 auction Defendant MBIA was paying back Defendant
15 Transamerica for a similar courtesy done for Defendant MBIA three years before.
16 431. The other participant in the April 27, 2005 auction was Defendant
17 CDC/IXIS, represented by Vincent Bernardeau. The participants who passed in
18 the auction were Defendant FSA, represented by Walter Schemistsch, Defendant
19 Rabobank represented by John Gallagher, and Defendant XL Asset represented by
20 K. Brinkman.
21 ix. San Mateo County (California) GIC September 6,
2001(Row 9)
22
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 112
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23 436. The results of the March 19, 2002 GIC auction conducted on behalf
24 of Los Angeles suggest that Defendant Transamerica submitted a courtesy bid for
25 the benefit of Defendant MBIA.
26 437. Defendant Transamerica represented by Cliff Jenkins submitted a bid
27 of 5.55%, which was 51 basis points below the winning bid of 6.06% submitted
v 28 by Defendant MBIA represented by Jacquelyn Hamme. This spread is the tenth
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 113
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v 28
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COMPLAINT 114
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3 440. On November 17, 2003, San Mateo County through its Joint Powers
4 Financing Authority issued $155,350,000 in auction-rate bonds. San Mateo’s
5 ARBs were split into three series, two of which reset on a weekly basis and one of
6 which reset every thirty-five days.
7 441. San Mateo sought to hedge the interest rate risk involved with these
8 types of issuances while taking advantage of short-term interest rates to which this
9 type of issuance gave it access to by entering into swap transactions that would
10 cover $133,550,000 of the $155,350,000 issuance amount. San Mateo intended to
11 prepay to bond holders the remaining $20,000,000 from a grant.
12 442. From San Mateo’s perspective, the swap would be a fixed to floating
13 rate swap, whereby San Mateo would make payments at specified intervals based
14 on a fixed interest rate on an amortizing amount of principal. In exchange, San
15 Mateo would receive payments at the same specified intervals based on a floating
16 rate of interest on the same amortizing amount of principal.
17 443. Defendant Salomon Smith Barney and co-conspirator Lehman were
18 the underwriters of the underlying bonds. From this position, Salomon Smith
19 Barney and Lehman offered to act as the swap providers according to an
20 approximately 70/30 split that mirrored the split between them as to the
21 underwriting of the associated bonds. Salomon Smith Barney would act as the
22 counter-party for approximately 70% of the total amount, $93,450,000, and
23 Lehman Brothers would act as the counter-party for the remaining approximately
24 30% of the total amount, $40,100,000.
25 444. Together, Salomon Smith Barney and Lehman proposed to San
26 Mateo a pricing methodology that would be used at the date set for pricing (“Price
27 Date”) to determine the terms of the swap. This methodology was proposed orally
v 28 to San Mateo a few weeks before the Price Date. Included in this proposal were
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 115
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 116
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 117
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1 454. The $40,100,000 portion of the swap deal for which Defendant AIG
2 Financial Products was ultimately the counterpart was similarly negatively valued
3 against San Mateo: the value of the cash flows to be paid by San Mateo to
4 Defendant AIG Financial Products was worth $982,379 less than the cash flows to
5 be paid by Defendant AIG Financial Products to San Mateo. This difference again
6 equals approximately 2.45% of the principal amount of $40,100,000. Another
7 way of looking at this is that San Mateo should have been paid $3,279,309 by
8 Defendants at the initiation of the transactions in order for the swap terms to have
9 been fair. Or to state it differently again, the spread between the swap terms and
10 fair market price was approximately $3.3 million of 245 base points.
11 455. It is very difficult to understand, therefore, why Defendant UBS and
12 Defendant Piper Jaffray would have given market quotes to San Mateo that were
13 so close to the terms offered by Defendant Citibank or Lehman. Indeed, the most
14 plausible explanation is that Defendant UBS and Defendant Piper Jaffray were
15 made aware of the terms offered by Citibank and Lehman/AIG Financial Products
16 and deliberately quoted terms to San Mateo with the purpose of falsely portraying
17 the terms offered by Citibank and Lehman/AIG Financial Products as fair. Indeed,
18 the economically rational thing for Defendant UBS or Defendant Piper Jaffrey to
19 do would have been to offer San Mateo terms that would have yielded them a
20 lower but still substantial spread.
21 4. Publicized Evidence Of The Conspiracy’s Operation In
Municipal Derivative Transactions
22
a. Pacific Matrix - Stifel Transactions
23
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 118
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1 Robert Cohran, for bid-rigging involving Pacific Matrix, from which Christopher
2 Winters left in 1992 to form Broker Defendant Feld Winters, and Stifel, Nicolaus
3 & Company, Inc. (“Pacific Matrix - Stifel Transactions”).
4 457. The Pacific Matrix - Stifel Transactions covered by the SEC
5 settlement involved the rigging of reinvestment derivative auctions conducted on
6 behalf of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, the Sisters of St. Mary’s Health Care
7 Obligated Group, and the Pottawatomie County Development Authority, in the
8 early 1990s. Information revealed in the SEC settlement of claims related to these
9 transactions powerfully demonstrates how the mechanisms of the conspiracy
10 described above, including the roles played by “last looks”, “courtesy bids”, and
11 “kickbacks” as well as the important role that personal relationships and repeat
12 business played in advancing the conspiracy.
13 i. Oklahoma Turnpike Authority GIC
14 458. In February 1989, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (“OTA”) issued
15 $568 million in revenue bonds. A portion of the bond proceeds was to be invested
16 in a GIC. Although bond counsel and the OTA required the GIC to be
17 competitively bid, a vice president of Pacific Matrix and employees of Stifel,
18 Nicolaus & Company, Inc. (“Stifel”), a broker, conspired to ensure that AIG (the
19 corporate parent of Defendant AIG Financial and AIG Sunamerica) won the
20 auction.
21 459. According to court filings and press reports, prior to the bidding,
22 Robert Cochran, Stifel’s executive vice president, contacted Pacific Matrix and
23 suggested a scheme whereby Pacific Matrix and Cochran would bring in the
24 winning GIC provider and split the fee paid by the provider. The parties contacted
25 AIG and proposed a plan whereby Pacific Matrix and Stifel would provide AIG
26 with a “last look” at the bids.
27 460. Cochran had prearranged with a Vice President of Pacific Matrix
v 28 (“VP”) to call Pacific Matrix’s office once he had learned what the highest
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 119
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1 submitted bid was and ask for “Wayne” a fictitious name. The VP, in turn, had
2 prearranged with Pacific Matrix’s secretary to forward any calls made to “Wayne”
3 to him and his supervisor. By asking for Wayne, Cochran was able to contact the
4 VP without raising suspicions. Cochran then communicated to the VP the amount
5 AIG needed to bid in order to win the auction. The VP relayed this information to
6 AIG which then submitted the winning bid.
7 461. In return for receiving the last look, AIG paid $300,000 to Pacific
8 Matrix. Pacific Matrix agreed to split this fee with Stifel and paid the company
9 $150,000 for its involvement in the conspiracy. In order to facilitate this payment,
10 Pacific Matrix entered into a sham “consulting agreement” with Stifel whereby
11 Stifel would educate Pacific Matrix on forward purchase agreements. Although
12 Stifel did not provide any services to Pacific Matrix, Pacific Matrix paid him
13 $110,000. During a subsequent transaction, Pacific Matrix paid the remaining
14 $40,000 to Stifel.
15 ii. Pottawatomie County (Oklahoma) Development
Authority
16
26 463. In May 1992, the OTA issued approximately $608 million in revenue
27 refunding bonds to advance refund most of its outstanding bonds and to fund
v 28 proposed turnpike projects. In this transaction, Stifel recommended that the OTA
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 120
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1 purchase a forward purchase agreement. Again, OTA’s bond counsel required that
2 the OTA obtain at least three competitive bids for the forward purchase agreement
3 in order to ensure the fairness of the terms of the ultimate deal; however,
4 unbeknownst to the OTA, Pacific Matrix, with the assistance of Cochran of Stifel,
5 rigged the bidding, this time to ensure selection of Sakura Global Capital, Inc.
6 (“Sakura”) as the provider.
7 464. At about 3:00 a.m. Pacific time on the morning of the bidding, Pacific
8 Matrix provided Cochran with names of firms that would be willing to enter
9 “courtesy bids” later that day. Cochran directed Pacific Matrix not to contact any
10 other brokers, thereby preventing them from contacting any “first-tier players.”
11 Cochran also provided Pacific Matrix with the winning bid information that would
12 be submitted by Sakura. Pacific Matrix relayed this information to the courtesy
13 bidders so they could be assured that their courtesy bids would be below that
14 which would be submitted by Sakura.
15 465. Following the transaction, the parties engaged in a series of
16 kickbacks. Stifel and Sakura each paid Pacific Matrix $50,000. Sakura also paid
17 an undisclosed brokerage fee of $6.593 million to Stifel in connection with the
18 deal.
19 iv. Sisters of St. Mary’s Forward Purchase Agreement
20 466. In November 1992, the Sisters of St. Mary’s Health Care Obligated
21 Group (“St. Mary’s”) was the beneficiary of four simultaneous issues of conduit
22 bonds by four separate issuers: the Illinois Health Facilities Authority; the Health
23 and Educational Facilities Authority of the State of Missouri; Dillon County,
24 South Carolina; and the Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority.
25 Stifel was a co-managing underwriter for the transaction. Stifel recommended that
26 St. Mary’s enter into a forward purchase agreement. Although bond counsel
27 required that St. Mary’s obtain three competitive bids for the forward, Pacific
v 28 Matrix again assisted Stifel in ensuring Sakura’s selection as the provider.
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 121
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 122
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1 whether other firms that participated in the auction submitted courtesy bids that
2 assisted Defendant Bank of America win the GIC on artificially depressed terms.
3 471. An IRS investigation of Defendant Bank of America has uncovered
4 transcripts of telephone conversations involving a Bank of America employee that
5 indicates that Bank of America was itself involved in the submission of courtesy
6 bids. A related February 2005 letter from Charles Anderson, then Field Manager
7 of the IRS’s tax-exempt bond division states: “We have serious concerns about
8 the relationship between Bank of America and CDR relative to this bond issue.”
9 e. CDR - SocGen Transactions (Lease-to-Own And California
School Advance Refunding Deals)
10
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 123
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1 g. Baum
2 474. In November of 2006, as part of a settlement with the IRS, it was
3 disclosed that Baum illegally diverted profits on municipal bond deals. That
4 settlement covered more than $2 billion worth of blind pool deals entered into
5 between 1997 and 2001. The agency found evidence of bid rigging in these deals.
6 With respect to 20 tax-exempt bond issuers from Arizona to Florida, Baum rigged
7 GIC bids to allow the winning provider, most often CDC, to underpay for the GIC
8 and simultaneously overpay for other investment agreements and remarketing fees,
9 diverting arbitrage profits back to Baum to pay issuance costs. These unlawful
10 bid-riggings included GICs relating to (in addition to the Orange County, Florida,
11 Health Facilities Authority and the Western Virginia Hospital Finance Authority
12 described herein):
13 (a) A $128 million pooled variable-rate bond deal for the Arizona Health
14 Facilities Authority;
15 (b) Two hospital revenue bond issues totaling over $300 million for Ohio
16 Hospital Capital, Inc.;
17 (c) $250 million in revenue bonds sold by Knox County, Tennessee’s
18 Health, Educational & Housing Facility;
19 (d) $84 million in pooled variable-rate bonds sold by the Missouri Health
20 & Educational Facilities Authority; and
21 (e) $86.5 million in pooled variable-rate bonds sold by the South Georgia
22 Hospital Authority.
23 475. Lail was primarily involved for Baum on most of these deals. For all
24 of them, Gruer of JP Morgan submitted courtesy bids to Baum. On all of these
25 transactions, except the Arizona Health Facilities Authority transaction, a
26 non-defendant provider, whose identity is being kept confidential pursuant to an
27 agreement with the Bank of America, submitted courtesy bids as well. CDC won
v 28
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MCCARTHY
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1 all six of these transactions. As a kickback, CDC paid a large fee directly into
2 Lail’s personal account.
3 476. The IRS has alleged that JP Morgan, CDC, Merrill Lynch, Baum, and
4 BofA have conspired in manipulating these and/or other derivative transactions.
5 h. Butler Area School District Swaptions
6 477. The Butler Area School District and Butler County General Authority
7 have brought suit against JP Morgan for anticompetitive collusion in connection
8 with a 2003 swaption and a Constant Maturity Swap Amendment dated August 22,
9 2006. Butler has identified Gregory R. Zappala, Nicholas Falgione, and Michael
10 Lena of JP Morgan, and Stallone, David J. Eckhart, Michael Garner and Robert
11 Jones of IMAGE as the individuals who manipulated this transaction.
12 i. North Carolina University State Student Aid Association
13 478. In August 2004, a Bank of America employee and a Wachovia
14 employee discussed the pricing of a swap transaction for the NC State Student Aid
15 Association that the Defendants were splitting. This transaction was not bid out.
16 j. Jefferson County Sewer Swaps
17 479. One of the most publicized recent examples of Defendants’
18 anticompetitive conspiracy is a series of deals facilitated by Defendant CDR
19 involving 18 interest-rate swaps with a combined notional value $5.6 billion
20 entered into by Jefferson County, Alabama with Defendants Bank of America, JP
21 Morgan, Bear Stearns, and co-conspirator Lehman. Through the deals,
22 Defendants and co-conspirator Lehman earned $120 million in fees – six times the
23 prevailing rate.
24 480. In addition, according to filings by the SEC made in connection with
25 its November 4, 2009 settlement with Defendant J.P. Morgan Securities – valued
26 at more than $700 million--and a separate civil complaint filed by the SEC the
27 same day against two former JP Morgan managing directors (“McFaddin and
v 28 LeCroy Complaint,” collectively with documents related to the SEC’s settlement
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1 with J.P. Morgan Securities, the “SEC Jefferson Filings”), Douglas MacFaddin
2 and Charles LeCroy, Defendant Goldman Sachs received $3 million for its
3 participation in the scheme, co-conspirator Rice Financial received $1.4 million,
4 and co-conspirator Blount Parish received approximately $3 million.
5 481. The SEC Jefferson Filings reveal that JP Morgan made the $3 million
6 payment to Goldman Sachs and the $1.4 million payment to Rice Financial in
7 exchange for Goldman’s and Rice’s agreement not to compete with JP Morgan for
8 a $1.1 billion swap deal associated with the county’s 2003-B sewer bonds.
9 Specifically, the McFaddin and LeCroy Complaint describes how, during the
10 spring of 2003, JP Morgan’s MacFaddin and LeCroy were “actively soliciting” the
11 swap deal, while at the same time “Goldman Sachs and . . . Rice Financial were
12 also pitching swap deals with the County.” The Complaint explains that
13 MacFaddin and LeCroy ultimately decide to make payments to Goldman Sachs
14 and Rice Financial “[t]o prevent Goldman Sachs or Rice Financial from executing
15 their own swap transactions with the county and ensure the County selected
16 JPMorgan Chase as the swap provider.” However, “neither firm entered into a
17 swap agreement with the County, or served as an advisor to the County on this
18 transaction.” Thus, there was no legitimate justification for the payments; rather,
19 the payments were part of Defendants’ collusive anticompetive conspiracy. These
20 payments were eventually passed along to the County and its taxpayers in the form
21 of higher interest rate charges in the swaps.
22 482. JP Morgan tried to disguise the payment to Goldman Sachs by
23 making the payment “through a swap agreement between Goldman Sachs and JP
24 Morgan Chase Bank created solely as mechanism to make this payment.”
25 According the MacFaddin and LeCroy Complaint, “LeCroy later joked with
26 MacFaddin in another call about JPMorgan’s ‘philanthropic work’ by ‘giving a
27 charitable donation to Goldman’ for ‘taking no risk.’”
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1 a run at it yesterday, and I was able to get the Commissioner [Langford] to cancel
2 the meeting. So I think I can hold them off. But that is gonna cost us, from the
3 swap side about, oh - it’s gonna cost us - all in about $3.5 million, but part of
4 that is coming out of the bonds. . . .’” (emphasis added).
5 487. The MacFaddin and LeCroy Complaint continues: “Ultimately, . . .
6 LeCroy and MacFaddin arrange for JP Morgan to pay Blount Parrish $2.6 million .
7 . . for ensuring JP Morgan was selected as underwriter and swap provider.” The
8 MacFaddin and LeCroy Complaint indicates elsewhere that in connection with the
9 transaction “a $1.3 million co-underwriting fee [was made] to [Defendant] Bank of
10 America” and that Bank of America made a “payment to a third-party broker-
11 dealer acting as a remarketing agent.”
12 488. As the director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, Robert Khuzami,
13 put it, “The transactions were complex but the scheme was simple. Senior J. P.
14 Morgan bankers made unlawful payments to win business and earn fees.”
15 489. Commenting in May 22, 2008 Bloomberg article on the Jefferson
16 County case, Christopher “Kit” Taylor, director of the Municipal Securities
17 Rulemaking Board from 1978-2007, noted the overlap between the DOJ antitrust
18 division’s investigation of the municipal derivatives industry and the Jefferson
19 County case: “In Jefferson County’s case, the people who were allegedly doing the
20 price fixing were right at the center of the scandal.”
21 490. JP Morgan’s MacFaddin, for example, who was deeply involved in
22 the Jefferson County case, revealed in FINRA filings that he is the target of
23 criminal prosecution by the DOJ in connection with its antitrust division’s
24 investigation of anticompetitive conduct in the municipal derivatives industry. As
25 is also described herein, the CW identified MacFaddin among the JP Morgan
26 employees involved in conspiratorial communications related to various municipal
27 derivatives deals; and MacFaddin was the supervisor of the other JP Morgan
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1 444. Defendant PFM acted as the broker and conducted the bidding
2 process for this swap transaction. Defendant Morgan Stanley won the bid and
3 proposed the floating to fixed rate structure to SMUD.
4 4. Constant Maturity Swap
5 445. On June 15, 2006, SMUD entered into a basis swap with Defendant
6 Merrill Lynch. The basis swap was associated with SMUD’s investment portfolio.
7 Under this swap, SMUD paid the 90-day swap rate on a notional amount of
8 $100,000,000 and received the 10-year swap rate less 34.7 basis points in return.
9 446. Prior to entering into the swap, SMUD solicited bids from multiple
10 Municipal Derivative providers. SMUD received the following bids:
11 • Defendant Merrill Lynch 34.7 bp
12 • Defendant Bear Stearns 35.6 bp
13 • Defendant Morgan Stanley 36.4 bp
14 • Goldman Sachs 36.56 bp
15 447. Cory Piette and Jeffery Pearsall, representatives for Defendant PFM,
16 acted as the broker and conducted the bidding process for this swap transaction
17 and enter into a new swap agreement. The bidding process occurred on June 9,
18 2006 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
19 448. On January 3, 2008, SMUD opted to terminate the swap pursuant to a
20 bidding process again conducted by Defendant PFM. SMUD received the
21 following bids:
22 • Defendant Merrill Lynch $3,650,000
23 • Goldman Sachs $3,610,000
24 • Defendant Morgan Stanley $3,610,000
25 • Defendant JP Morgan $3,515,000
26 • Royal Bank of Canada $3,250,000
27
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1 8. 1997 Series K
2 460. On July 2, 1997, SMUD entered into an interest rate swap with
3 Goldman Sachs Capital Markets, L.P. for the notional amount of $131,030,000.
4 The swap converted the fixed interest rates on the 1997 Series K Electric Revenue
5 Bonds to a synthetic variable rate. Under the terms of the swap, SMUD pays a
6 variable rate equivalent to the Bond Market Association Index and receives fixed
7 rate payments of 5.154%.
8 VII.
9 DOJ ANTITRUST DIVISION EMPANELS GRAND JURY TO
PURSUE INDUSTRY-WIDE CRIMINAL
10 INVESTIGATION - BOFA SEEKS AMNESTY
11 494. As mentioned above, in the fall of 2006, the Antitrust Division of the
12 DOJ, through its spokeswoman Kathleen Blomquist, publically announced that it
13 had begun an “investigation of anticompetitive practices in the municipal bond
14 industry.” Soon there after it was reported that a criminal grand jury had been
15 empaneled, from which subpoenas were issued to over 25 Broker and Provider
16 Defendants and search warrants authorizing FBI raids, on November 15, 2006,
17 upon the offices of Broker Defendants CDR, IMAGE and Sound Capital.
18 495. According to a proffer provided by Defendant Bank of America to
19 SMUD, Bank of America’s outside counsel had discovered evidence suggesting
20 the existence of violations of antitrust laws by members of Bank of America’s
21 municipal derivative desk in 2004, which they brought to the attention of the DOJ.
22 The DOJ explicitly instructed Bank of America’s counsel to keep this information
23 confidential and not to take any actions that would alert other persons at Bank of
24 America or outside Bank of America that this evidence had been discovered. The
25 DOJ’s investigation has apparently been conducted in cooperation with
26 investigations by the IRS and SEC of certain municipal derivative transactions for
27 violations of tax and securities laws. In the course of these investigations the IRS
v 28 and SEC has apparently discovered evidence that strongly suggested that
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1 participants in such transactions had also violated the criminal antitrust laws,
2 which was brought to the DOJ’s attention. Again, as Charles Anderson of the
3 IRS’s put it in 2007:
4 I have listened to tape recordings of bankers talking to each other
5 saying, ‘This law firm or lawyer will go along, they know what’s
6 going on, they’ll give us an opinion.’ It might take a little time to
7 unwind it all, but I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. . .
8 I would not be surprised to see bankers and lawyers go to jail.
9 (emphasis add).
10 496. The following Provider Brokers Defendants and Co-conspirators,
11 either directly or through their corporate parents or subsidiaries, received
12 subpoenas from the DOJ’s antitrust division: BofA; UBS; JP Morgan; Bear
13 Stearns; Piper Jaffray; Wachovia; AIG Financial; AIG Sunamerica; FSA; FGIC;
14 GE Funding; GE Trinity; Genworth; CDC; SocGen; XL; CDR; Feld Winters;
15 Winters; CDC Funding; Baum; Kinsell; Sound Capital; IMAGE; First Southwest;
16 Morgan Keegan; and Shokley.
17 497. The subpoenas sought documents, email, notes, tapes or notes of
18 phone conversations from as far back as 1992 regarding: “contracts involving the
19 investment or reinvestment of the proceeds of tax-exempt bond issues and
20 qualified academy bonds [i.e. reinvestment-type Municipal Derivatives] [, as well
21 as] related transactions involving the management or transferal of the interest rate
22 risk associate with those bonds [i.e. hedging-type Municipal Derivatives],
23 including but not limited to guaranteed investment contracts; forward supply,
24 purchase or delivery agreements; repurchase agreements; swaps; options; and
25 swapoptions.” The subpoena further requested documents (broadly defined)
26 related to “competitive bidding” for Municipal Derivatives.
27 498. On the grounds that the investigation is ongoing, the DOJ has
v 28 rebuffed attempts by Los Angeles to gain access to detailed information regarding
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1 Defendant BofA, BofA entry into the leniency program in 2004. BofA’s
2 representatives at the time were specifically told by the DOJ to keep its entry
3 confidential and not take acts, such as interviewing BofA representatives, that
4 could alert persons of the DOJ’s investigation
5 503. The leniency program under ACPERA is primarily a first-through-
6 the-door program. Only the first member of a conspiracy to admit their
7 participation in an illegal anticompetitive conspiracy and provide adequate
8 cooperation is given amnesty from criminal prosecution. Other members of the
9 conspiracy can only receive reductions of their sentences if they admit to their
10 participation in the conspiracy and only to an extent that their cooperation
11 provides the DOJ information beyond that which the original amnesty applicant
12 has already provided.
13 504. The scope of the subpoenas, both as to the number of companies that
14 received them, over 25, and the subject matter of information sought “ competitive
15 bidding” for Municipal Derivatives, makes clear that the DOJ’s investigation is
16 not as to single-firm conduct, but rather the conduct of a very significant number
17 of participants in the industry. Indeed, according the descriptions of the
18 investigation contained in many Defendants’ SEC filings, the investigation is
19 “industry-wide.”
20 505. Moreover, the fact that a criminal grand jury was empaneled by the
21 DOJ supports this conclusion. According to the DOJ’s Antitrust Division Manuel,
22 Chap. III.C.5, “In general, current Division policy is to proceed by criminal
23 investigation and prosecution in cases involving horizontal, per se unlawful
24 agreements such as price-fixing, bid rigging and horizontal customer and
25 territorial allocations.”
26 506. Thus, again, that fact that Defendant BofA applied for and gained
27 entry into the leniency primarily indicates two things: (1) Defendant BofA
v 28 participated in a criminal anticompetitive conspiracy related to Municipal
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1 Derivatives market; and (2) Defendant BofA was the first conspirator to get
2 through the DOJ’s door.
3 507. As the description above of particular Municipal Derivative
4 transactions in which there can be seen plausible evidence of the conspiracy shows
5 and information proffered by BofA to Los Angeles demonstrates, the conspiracy
6 involved far more than just Defendant BofA. The descriptions below of the
7 progress of the investigation of the conspiracy taken from the SEC and FINRA
8 filings of Defendants and their current and former representatives reinforce this
9 conclusion.
10 508. These description show how the DOJ after its initial demands for
11 documents has followed up with subsequent demands, which strongly indicates
12 that the production that Defendants made in response contained evidence that was
13 at least suggestive of the Defendants’ participation in the conspiracy and justified
14 further inquiry.
15 509. The descriptions also reveal that certain current and former
16 representatives of certain Defendants have received “target letters” from the DOJ.
17 It is the DOJ policy to classify representatives from whom information is sought
18 into two categories “targets” and “subjects.” In some U.S. Attorney Offices a
19 third category, “witnesses,” is also used. A “subject” of a grand jury investigation
20 is an representative whose conduct is within the scope of the grand jury’s
21 investigation, but against whom there is not yet substantial evidence suggesting or
22 refuting that they committed a crime. A “target” is an representative against
23 whom the prosecutor or grand jury has substantial evidence to link to a crime, and
24 who, in the judgment of the prosecutor, is likely to be indicted. A “witness,” if the
25 classification is used, is an representative whom the evidence suggests has not
26 committed a crime but who may have evidence of a crime’s commission by
27 another person. The DOJ notifies representatives that they are “targets,” so that
v 28 the representative can be advised of and made aware of his or her due process
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1 rights before he or she gives testimony before a grand jury. Accordingly, the DOJ
2 almost never unilaterally notifies an representative of his or her status on the
3 hierarchy of its investigation unless and until it notifies him or her that he or she is
4 a target. Thus, the fact that the current and former representatives of these
5 Defendants have received target letters is strongly suggestive that while working
6 as representatives of Defendants these representatives violated criminal antitrust
7 laws for which these Defendants would be liable.
8 510. As a March 3, 2008 Bond Buyer article noted:
9 Market participants said Friday that the individuals and
10 firms known to have been subpoenaed or to have
11 received target letters in the investigation may just be the
12 tip of the iceberg. Most firms are not publicly disclosing
13 the Justice Department actions until their 10-K financial
14 filings are due. Securities firms appear to be including
15 disclosures of the target letters in the regulatory filings
16 for their employees, even before their 10-K filings are
17 due, but banks and investment advisory firms are not
18 subject to the same disclosure requirements.
19 ***
20 “Usually by the time an individual gets a target letter, the
21 investigation is pretty far down the road and it’s an
22 indication that indictments are going to be issued in the
23 relative near terms,”said John F. Markey, a partner at
24 Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo PC in
25 Boston, and former federal and state prosecutor. Markey
26 said that in a target letter, “The Department of Justice is
27 informing an individual or his attorney that it already has
v 28 substantial evidence of the commission of a federal
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25 513. The leniency that Bank of America has conditionally received from
26 the DOJ does not extend to its current or former employees. These individuals are
27 still subject to criminal prosecution. The following former employees of Bank of
v 28 America have received target letter from the Antitrust Division of the DOJ,
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1 informing them of the DOJ’s intention to seek their criminal indictment related to
2 the DOJ’s investigation of the conspiracy alleged herein: Douglas Campbell, a
3 former Sales Team Manager at Bank of America, who was also formerly employed
4 by Provider Defendant Piper Jaffray and the corporate predecessor of Defendants
5 Wachovia and Wells Fargo; Dean Pinard, former Manager of the Derivatives
6 Department of Bank of America; Phil Murphy, former Head Managing Director of
7 the Derivatives Department of Bank of America; and Jay Saunders, a former
8 member of Bank of America municipal derivatives desk and Defendant
9 Wachovia’s Derivatives Marketing Department.
10 514. Reports have indicated that a number of key derivatives officials at
11 Bank of America were placed on “administrative leave,” including Dean Pinard,
12 who managed the bank’s derivatives department.
13 515. Bank of America has received a Wells notice from the SEC,
14 informing Bank of America that the SEC intended to bring a civil action against
15 Bank of America related to the conspiracy alleged herein. Bank of America has
16 also received subpoenas and/or formal investigatory demands from State
17 Attorneys General investigating the conspiracy alleged herein.
18 B. The DOJ’s Indictment Of Defendant CDR And CDR Executives
Implicates Other Defendant Providers In Conspiracy
19
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1 526. CDR and its co-conspirators actions are strikingly consistent with the
2 illicit conspiratorial conduct of Defendant BofA and other co-conspirators alleged
3 herein and re-confirm the breadth of this far-reaching conspiracy. The indictment
4 refers to “numerous occasions,” where illegal conduct occurred that is very similar
5 to that described elsewhere herein, including the following:
6 • A provider acting as an underwriter on a bond deal recommended to
7 the issuer that it hire CDR as the broker for associated municipal
8 derivatives, so that in exchange CDR could help the investment bank
9 win the municipal derivative contract;
10 • A provider would be pre-selected as the winner of a particular
11 auction;
12 • The pre-selected winner of an auction would be given a last look at
13 the bids of other providers, so that the pre-selected winner could
14 submit a bid just high enough to win, and no more;
15 • Providers not pre-selected to win a particular auction would submit a
16 courtesy bid, which had no chance of winning; and
17 • Providers would arrange to give CDR a kickback of a portion of their
18 illegally won profits through unearned or inflated fee associated with
19 a swap transaction that was not disclosed to issuers.
20 527. The CDR Indictment also describes multiple occurrences of wire
21 fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and a series of fraudulent bank
22 transactions, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1005. These allegations underscore the
23 broad scope of the conspiracy and further show the web of collusion that drove
24 this far reaching conspiracy. The following examples wire fraud and bank fraud
25 are illustrative:
26 • On September 30, 2002, Defendant CDR, received a kickback in the
27 form of $25,000 hedge fee from Financial Institution A, generated
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1 C. Other Defendants Report That They And Their Former Employees Are
Under Investigation Related To Their Involvement In The Conspiracy
2
533. The DOJ’s decision to grant Defendant Bank of America entry into
3
the leniency program and the CDR Indictment provide clear evidence that the DOJ
4
believes that antitrust violations occurred in the Municipal Derivatives Industry
5
and that at least Defendant Bank of America, CDR, and four other entities were
6
involved in these violations.
7
534. The allegations herein related to particular auctions and kickbacks
8
make it clear that Defendants conspiracy was far broader.
9
535. Public filings by other Defendants and their employees, as well as
10
other publically available information, indicate strongly that the DOJ, the SEC,
11
and a consortium of State Attorneys General that are investigating the conspiracy,
12
also believe that the other named Defendants also participated in the conspiracy.
13
1. UBS
14
536. UBS and its employees have been facing intensifying scrutiny from
15
investigators regarding their involvement in the conspiracy. In its Fourth Quarter
16
2006 Report, the company reported that it was under investigation for its role as a
17
provider:
18
In November 2006, UBS received subpoenas from the U.S.
19
Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, and the U.S. Securities and
20
Exchange Commission. These subpoenas concern UBS’s conduct
21
relating to derivative transactions entered into with municipal bond
22
issuers, and to the investment of proceeds of municipal bond
23
issuances.
24
537. Peter Ghavami, an employee at UBS from 1999 to December 2007,
25
has been implicated in the DOJ’s investigation. A November 30, 2007 FINRA
26
report states in part that:
27
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1 target of the grand jury investigation being conducted in the S.D.N.Y. concerning
2 antitrust and other violations involving contracts related to municipal bonds.
3 545. The SEC investigation of Mr. Marsh and Bear Stearns appears to be
4 bearing fruit. In a February 2, 2007 FINRA report, Marsh noted that he had been
5 advised that the staff of the SEC was considering recommending that the
6 Commission bring a civil injunctive action and/or institute administrative
7 proceedings against him alleging that he violated section 17(A) of the Securities
8 Act, Section 10(B) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10B-5 thereunder in connection
9 with the bidding of various financial instruments associated with municipal
10 securities.
11 546. In a January 8, 2008 FINRA notice, it was reported that Stephen
12 Andrew Salvadore, a Bear Stearns employee from 1999 to June 2008, received a
13 letter stating that he was a target of a grand jury investigation being conducted by
14 the US Department of Justice in the Southern District of New York concerning
15 antitrust and other violations involving contracts related to municipal bonds.
16 547. In Bear Stearns’ February 2008 10-Q, the company acknowledged
17 that the Antitrust Division of the DOJ and the SEC were investigating possible
18 anti-competitive bidding practices in the municipal derivatives industry involving
19 various parties, including Bear Stearns, from the early 1990's to date. The
20 company noted that the activities at issue in these industry-wide government
21 investigations concern the bidding process for municipal derivatives that are
22 offered to states, municipalities, and other issuers of tax-exempt bonds.
23 548. On February 1, 2008, Bear Stearns received a Wells Notice advising
24 it that the SEC was considering bringing a civil injunctive action and/or an
25 administrative proceeding in connection with the company’s bidding for various
26 financial instruments associated with municipal securities.
27 549. In its 2008 10-Q, Bear Stearns reported that a group of State
v 28 Attorneys General and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) had
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1 also opened investigations into the bidding process for municipal derivatives.
2 Bear Stearns acknowledged that it produced documents and other information to
3 those investigators.
4 4. Piper Jaffray
5 550. Piper Jaffray’s 2007 10-K describes the breadth of the government’s
6 investigation into it and other providers’ behavior:
7 We have received subpoenas and requests for information from, and
8 we are responding to, the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice
9 (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division, which are conducting broad, industry-
10 wide investigations of anticompetitive and other practices relating to
11 the marketing, providing or brokering of contracts involving the
12 investment or reinvestment of proceeds of certain tax-exempt bond
13 issues, including guaranteed investment contracts, derivatives and
14 other investment securities. In December 2007, the DOJ notified one
15 of our employees, whose employment subsequently was terminated,
16 that he is regarded as a target of the investigation.
17 (Emphasis added).
18 551. The targeted employee was likely James Herbert Towne, an employee
19 with the company from 1996 to January 2008, who, according to a December 5,
20 2007 FINRA notice, was tied to “potential antitrust and other violations involving
21 contracts related to municipal bonds.”
22 5. Wachovia
23 552. In its 2007 10-K, Wachovia reported that:
24 The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the SEC, beginning in
25 November 2006, have been requesting information from a number of
26 financial institutions, including Wachovia Bank, N.A.’s municipal
27 derivatives group, generally with regard to competitive bid practices
v 28 in the municipal derivative markets. In connection with these
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1 requested that the company furnish to the DOJ and SEC records and other
2 information with respect to the company’s municipal GIC business.
3 557. In its 2006 10-K, FSA Holdings acknowledged that it is at risk that
4 information provided pursuant to the subpoenas or otherwise provided to the
5 government in the course of its investigation would lead to indictments of the
6 company and/or its employees, with the potential for convictions or settlements
7 providing for the payment of fines, restrictions on future business activities and, in
8 the case of individual employees, imprisonment.
9 558. Following these subpoenas, on February 4, 2008, the SEC’s
10 Philadelphia Regional Office sent FSA Holdings a Wells Notice concerning the
11 company’s bidding of municipal GICs. The Wells Notice indicated that the SEC
12 was considering recommending that the SEC authorize the staff to bring a civil
13 injunction action and/or institute administrative proceedings against the company,
14 alleging violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10-b-5
15 thereunder and Section 17(a) of the Securities Act.
16 559. On August 26, 2009, it was reported that the Connecticut Attorney
17 General Richard Blumental had gone to the Connecticut Superior Court to compel
18 FSAI to turn over 600 hours of audio recordings that FSAI had already released to
19 the DOJ and SEC that Attorney General Blumenthal believed contained “a rich
20 source of evidence of potential violations” of antitrust laws.
21 7. CDC Funding
22 560. In its 2008 Registration Document filed with the French Financial
23 Markets Authority on April 7, 2009, CDC (now known as Natixis S.A.) reported
24 that an unidentified current employee of CDC Funding (now known as Natixis
25 Funding Corp.) received a target letter from the DOJ’s Antitrust Division
26 indicating that he was a target of the DOJ’s criminal investigation of the conduct
27 alleged herein.
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 155
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 165 of 181
1 VIII.
2 ACCRUAL OF CLAIMS, CONTINUING VIOLATION,
EQUITABLE TOLLING, AND FRAUDULENT CONCEALMENT
3
4 561. SMUD repeats and realleges each of the foregoing paragraphs of this
5 complaint and incorporates them by reference as though set forth in full herein.
6 562. Throughout the relevant period, Defendants affirmatively and
7 fraudulently concealed their unlawful conduct from SMUD.
8 563. SMUD did not discover, and could not discover through the exercise
9 of reasonable diligence, that Defendants were engaging in the illegal and unlawful
10 conduct as alleged herein until shortly before this litigation was commenced. Nor
11 could SMUD have discovered the violations earlier than that time because
12 Defendants conducted their conspiracy in secret, concealed the nature of their
13 unlawful conduct and acts in furtherance thereof, and fraudulently concealed their
14 activities through various other means and methods designed to avoid detection.
15 The conspiracy was by its nature self-concealing. Even as late as December 2006,
16 SMUD lacked the ability to confirm the true nature of the alleged conspiracy from
17 publically available information. This is confirmed by public statements made at
18 the time of the disclosure of subpoenas issued by the DOJ in late 2006. For
19 example, in a Bond Buyer article dated December 22, 2006, Carol Lew, president
20 of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, was quoted as saying “[r]ight now,
21 there is a lack of public information. . .We don’t know if any of these allegations
22 are true or what the facts are and that tempers everything.”
23 564. Moreover, prior to the disclosure of subpoenas issued by the DOJ in
24 late 2006, any publically available information regarding manipulated municipal
25 derivative transactions focused on certain manipulated transactions. Until the
26 announcement of the DOJ subpoenas and the industry-wide scope of the
27 investigation of which they were a part, SMUD was ignorant of the Defendants’
v 28 conspiracy. The first complaint alleging violations of antitrust laws based on the
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 156
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 166 of 181
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 157
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 167 of 181
1 required all potential Providers to make representations that the bids submitted
2 were legitimate. SMUD’s bid forms commonly used the following language or
3 similar language:
4 “Bidder’s Representation: Submission of a bid is a
5 representation that the potential Provider did not consult with any
6 other potential Provider about its bid, that the bid was determined
7 without regard to any other formal or informal agreement that the
8 potential Provider has with the Issuer or any other person (whether or
9 not in connection with the Bonds), and that the bid is not being
10 submitted solely as a courtesy to the Issuer or any other person for
11 purposes of satisfying applicable statutory or regulatory
12 requirements.”
13 569. In concealment of the alleged conspiracy, Defendants falsely made
14 these representations to SMUD. These representations caused SMUD to believe
15 that the bids they received were the result of a complete and fair competitive
16 process.
17 570. Defendants engaged in a successful and unlawful scheme to defraud
18 issuers of municipal bonds, primarily local and municipal government entities, that
19 they affirmatively concealed, in the following respects:
20 a. By agreeing among themselves not to discuss publicly, or
21 otherwise reveal, the nature and substance of the acts and communications in
22 furtherance of their illegal scheme;
23 b. By engaging in secret meetings and telephone calls in order to
24 further their unlawful and illegal scheme to fix the bidding process for Municipal
25 Derivatives and allocate amongst themselves the market therefor;
26 c. By designing corrupted auctions to appear facially legitimate
27 under relevant regulations and practices;
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 158
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 159
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 160
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1 laws based on the conduct described herein was filed March 12, 2008. These acts
2 include, among others, the submission of courtesy bids, the collusive exchange of
3 pricing information on municipal derivative transactions, and direct discussions
4 among the conspirators regarding the pricing of Municipal Derivatives
5 577. Additionally, Bank of America’s 2009 SEC filing tellingly states that
6 governmental investigations into the conspiracy cover the period from the early
7 1990s “to date.” And the CDR Indictment describes conduct that lasted “until at
8 least November 2006.”
9 578. Moreover, many of the representatives targeted by the DOJ did not
10 leave their employment until 2006-2008. These include: Towne of Piper Jaffray
11 (January of 2008); Zaino of UBS (2007); Salvadore of Bear Stearns (July of
12 2008); MacFaddin of JP Morgan (March of 2008); Pinard of Bank of America (
13 February of 2007); Hertz of JP Morgan (December of 2007); Ghavami of UBS
14 (December of 2007); Saunders of Wachovia (July of 2008); Gruer of JP Morgan
15 (June of 2006); and Goldberg of CDR (September of 2006). McConnell of
16 Wachovia worked at Wachovia from 2005 to July of 2008. Accordingly, it can be
17 inferred that their anticompetitive practices have continued to at least the time of
18 their respective departures. Stallone of IMAGE, Rosenberg of Sound Capital,
19 Frasco of CDC, and Murphy, formerly of Bank of America and now at Winters,
20 are still currently employed by a Defendant.
21 579. Moreover, the co-conspirators, with the potential exception of Bank
22 of America, have not effectively withdrawn from the conspiracy. Their refusal
23 acknowledge their misconduct are ongoing acts in furtherance of the conspiracy.
24 580. Many of the Municipal Derivatives transactions entered into are
25 ongoing. The negative effects SMUD is experiencing from them are ongoing as
26 well and constitute a continuing violation of the law.
27 581. Because the conspiracy was both self-concealing and affirmatively
v 28 concealed by Defendants and their con-conspirators, SMUD had no knowledge of
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 161
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 171 of 181
9 582. SMUD repeats and realleges each of the foregoing paragraphs of this
10 complaint and incorporates them by reference as though set forth in full herein.
11 583. Through their unlawful acts, the Defendants acted to the detriment of
12 SMUD, leading to the reaping of unlawful profits by the Defendants from the
13 manipulation of the Municipal Derivatives market.
14 584. By engaging in the unlawful and illegal conspiracy alleged herein,
15 including rigging bids in auctions for Municipal Derivatives and allocating the
16 market amongst themselves, the Defendants acted to the detriment of SMUD. The
17 Defendants engaged in unlawful conduct in furtherance of the conspiracy that
18 included but was not limited to:
19 a. conspiring to pre-select the winners in particular Municipal
20 Derivative auctions;
21 b. submitting courtesy bids designed to lose in favor of the pre-
22 selected bid winner but give the bidding process the
23 appearance of legitimacy;
24 c. declining to submit a bid in favor of the pre-selected winner;
25 d. submitting deliberately losing bids that were unreasonable and
26 unrealistic;
27 e. engaging in inappropriate last look arrangements, whereby the
v 28 pre-selected winner of the auction was given a last look at
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 162
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 172 of 181
27
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 163
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 173 of 181
1 X.
2 TRADE AND INTERSTATE COMMERCE
3 587. The activities of Defendants, and each of them, and their named and
4 unnamed co-conspirators, as alleged herein, were within the flow of and
5 substantially affected interstate commerce.
6 588. During all times alleged herein, Defendants, and each of them, and
7 their named and unnamed co-conspirators, issued and/or sold Municipal
8 Derivatives in a continuous and uninterrupted flow of interstate commerce to
9 SMUD located in all states across the nation.
10 589. The conspiracy in which Defendants, and each of them, and their
11 named and unnamed co-conspirators participated had a direct, substantial, and
12 reasonably foreseeable effect on United States commerce.
13 XI.
14 CLAIMS FOR RELIEF
15 FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION
16 VIOLATION OF SECTION 1 OF THE SHERMAN ACT, 15 U.S.C. § 1
17 590. SMUD repeats and realleges each of the foregoing paragraphs of this
18 amended complaint and incorporates them by reference as though set forth in full
19 herein.
20 591. Defendants, and each of them, and their named and unnamed
21 co-conspirators, engaged in an agreement, contract, combination, trust and/or
22 conspiracy to manipulate the market for Municipal Derivatives by, inter alia,
23 engaging in conduct to maintain or stabilize the price of Municipal Derivatives,
24 allocating customers and markets for Municipal Derivatives, rigging the bidding
25 process by which municipal bond issuers acquire Municipal Derivatives, and/or
26 conspiring to manipulate the terms that issuers received on Municipal Derivatives
27 entered into through a negotiation process in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman
v 28 Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1.
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 164
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 174 of 181
1 592. Defendants, and each of them, and their named and unnamed co-
2 conspirators, agreed to, and did in fact, restrain trade or commerce in violation of
3 the Sherman Act by engaging in conduct, including, but not limited to, the
4 allocation of the market for Municipal Derivatives amongst themselves, sharing
5 their illegal gains through kickbacks to one another, and making other secret,
6 undisclosed arrangements.
7 593. In formulating and effectuating their agreement, contract,
8 combination, trust and/or conspiracy, Defendants, and each of them, and their
9 named and unnamed co-conspirators, engaged in anticompetitive activities
10 including, but not limited to, the making of illegal agreements among themselves
11 to reduce competition and thereby reduce the returns that U.S. public and non-
12 profit entities, including SMUD, earned on Municipal Derivatives and to allocate
13 the market for Municipal Derivatives amongst themselves. This scheme involved
14 means, including but not limited to, the following activities:
15 a. conspiring to pre-select the winners in particular Municipal
16 Derivative auctions;
17 b. submitting courtesy bids designed to lose in favor of the pre-
18 selected bid winner but give the bidding process the
19 appearance of legitimacy;
20 c. declining to submit a bid in favor of the pre-selected winner;
21 d. submitting deliberately losing bids that were unreasonable and
22 unrealistic;
23 e. engaging in inappropriate last look arrangements, whereby the
24 pre-selected winner of the auction was given a last look at
25 submitted bids to ensure that the bid that it submitted would be
26 just high enough to win and to police the other participants in
27 the conspiracy.;
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 165
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 166
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 167
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 168
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COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 169
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 179 of 181
1 ongoing attorneys’ fees, costs, and other expenses for which they seek recovery
2 according to proof.
3 604. Pursuant to the Cartwright Act, SMUD is authorized to recover three
4 times the damages they sustained plus interest and reasonable attorneys’ fees,
5 costs and expenses.
6 605. WHEREFORE, SMUD prays for judgment against Defendants, and
7 each of them, as set forth below.
8 PRAYER FOR RELIEF
9 WHEREFORE, SMUD prays that:
10 A. The Court adjudge and decree that the acts of the Defendants are
11 illegal and unlawful, including that the agreement, contract, combination, or
12 conspiracy and the acts done in furtherance thereof by Defendants and their
13 unnamed co-conspirators, be adjudged to have been a per se violation of Section 1
14 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1 and the Cartwright Act, Business and
15 Professions Code §§ 16700, et seq.;
16 B. Judgment be entered against Defendants, jointly and severally, and in
17 favor of SMUD for treble damages as allowed by law as determined to have been
18 sustained by them;
19 C. Each of the Defendants, successors, assigns, parents, subsidiaries,
20 affiliates and transferees, and their respective officers, directors, agents and
21 representatives, and all other persons acting or claiming to act on behalf of
22 Defendants or in concert with them, be permanently enjoined and restrained from,
23 in any manner, directly or indirectly, continuing, maintaining or renewing the
24 combinations, conspiracy, agreement, understanding or concert of action as
25 alleged herein;
26 D. The Court award SMUD’s fees and costs, and pre-judgment and
27 post-judgment interest as permitted by law; and
v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 170
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 180 of 181
1 E. The Court award SMUD such other and further relief as may be
2 necessary and appropriate.
3
7
By: /s/ Nanci E. Nishimura
8 NANCI E. NISHIMURA
9 Attorneys for Plaintiff
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
10
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19
20
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25
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v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 171
Case 2:09-at-01810 Document 1 Filed 11/12/2009 Page 181 of 181
8
By: /s/ Nanci E. Nishimura
9 NANCI E. NISHIMURA
10 Attorneys for Plaintiff
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
11
12
13
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v 28
LA W O F F IC E S
COTCHETT,
PITRE &
MCCARTHY
COMPLAINT 172