Ex-Goldman banker Tim Leissner a ‘double bigamist,’ lawyer claims

Tim Leissner -- the ex-Goldman Sachs banker and husband of style mannequin Kimora Lee Simmons -- is a "double bigamist" who "makes use of folks," a lawyer representing his former subordinate alleged.
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Former Goldman Sachs government Tim Leissner is a “double bigamist” who was “married to 2 completely different girls on the identical time, twice,” in response to the protection lawyer for his subordinate who's on trial for his half in a multi-billion greenback embezzlement scheme.

Leissner, the estranged husband of style mannequin and actuality tv star Kimora Lee Simmons, is the federal authorities’s key witness in its case towards Roger Ng, the banker who led Goldman’s Malaysia division.

The federal authorities alleges that Ng pocketed $35 million in kickbacks as a part of a “brazen” rip-off. Ng labored with Leissner and Malaysian financier Jho Low to divert $4.5 billion from the 1MDB fund – a few of which Goldman helped to lift via bond gross sales – to fund a lavish way of life, prosecutors allege.

“Tim Leissner makes use of folks,” protection legal professional Marc Agnifilo advised jurors on Monday in his opening assertion in Brooklyn federal court docket, which was reported by Bloomberg.

Agnifilo alleged that Leissner additionally had an “illicit” relationship with Jasmine Lavatory, who was basic counsel at 1MDB. Lavatory fled Malaysia and is needed by authorities there for her position within the scheme.

Leissner is the federal government’s star witness in its prosecution of Roger Ng, the previous Goldman banker who faces a long time in jail for his position within the 1MDB scandal.

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Ng’s protection legal professional advised the jury that Leissner and Lavatory developed a “darkish belief due to their illicit, intimate romantic relationship.” Leissner “makes use of girls, he makes use of false intimacy, and now he’s making an attempt to make use of my consumer to get him to do his jail time,” in response to Agnifilo.

Leissner, who pleaded responsible and forfeited $43 million, is testifying towards Ng as a way to get a diminished sentence.

Ng faces a long time in jail if he's convicted of cash laundering and bribery. He and Leissner have been each arrested and charged for his or her position within the 1MDB scandal.

Leissner has pleaded responsible to cash laundering and bribery. He has agreed to testify towards Ng in hopes of getting a diminished jail sentence.

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Agnifilo urged jurors to query Leissner’s credibility when he takes the witness stand, alleging that he secretly recorded co-conspirators concerned within the scheme however was by no means capable of finding something incriminating towards Ng.

“There’s no recording of Roger,” Agnifilo advised the jury. “Not one.”

Brent Wible, the federal prosecutor who's in search of to place Ng in jail, alleged Ng secretly agreed with Leissner and Malaysian businessman Jho Low to assist take a whole bunch of tens of millions of dollars raised for 3 bond offers tied to 1MDB that have been initially meant for growth initiatives in Malaysia, in response to Bloomberg.

“This was a scheme to steal $1 billion,” Brent Wible advised the jury in his opening assertion. “The defendant Roger Ng noticed a chance to get wealthy by dishonest.”

However Agnifilo countered that the partnership prompted Leissner to pursue a high-flying lifetime of luxurious like Low and to hunt out cash to purchase personal planes, yachts and houses in Beverly Hills, similar to the Malaysian financier, Agnifilo stated.

Leissner purchased houses “for all the ladies in his life” and have become a “mini model of Low,” he stated.