Legal News

SEC Attorneys: Fort Worth?s Other Kind of Buckin? Broncos?

By Nathan Koppel

Lawyers in the SEC's Fort Worth office sure seem to be a lively bunch. Maybe it’s to fit in with the town’s cowboy image.

J. Kevin Edmundson, an SEC attorney in Fort Worth who is on the team prosecuting Allen Stanford, was arrested Saturday at an arts festival in downtown Fort Worth for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

Here's an article from the AP, which could not reach Edmundson or his attorney, Tim Moore, for comment.

According to a police report, Edmundson disobeyed a female officer's orders not to cross a street when cars were approaching. He purportedly smelled of alcohol and became aggressive when the officer tried to arrest him for public intoxication. At one point, Edmundson allegedly tried to hit the officer in the eye, the AP reports.

"We are aware of the incident and it is under review," SEC spokesman John Nester said in a statement.

Last year, meanwhile, we blogged about another SEC attorney in Fort Worth, Jeffrey Norris, and his strange email exchange with Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban, which is being pursued by the SEC’s Fort Worth branch for alleged insider trading. (Cuban has denied wrongdoing.)

In March 2007, Norris began sending strongly-worded emails to Cuban, in which Norris defended President Bush and called Cuban unpatriotic.

In May 2007, after the Mavericks lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs, Norris posted a comment on a Time.com blog that Cuban himself "orchestrated the Mavericks' loss" and then Norris emailed the comment to Cuban.

After calling the blog comment "scary," Cuban sent an email to Norris and then SEC Chairman Christopher Cox, noting that "sending [an] unsolicited email to me, basically accusing me of being a traitor and lacking in patriotism, from your sec email account and during working hours is exactly how taxpayer dollars should be spent." Norris hit "reply all" and continued to criticize Cuban in full view of Cox.

Norris declined to comment to the Law Blog at the time. The SEC told the WSJ that Norris wasn't at any time involved in the investigation of Cuban, and that he was being reviewed for possible disciplinary actions.

LB is checking in with the SEC to find out the status of both men; we’ve also lobbed a called into Mr. Edmundson’s lawyer. ‘Til then, ride ‘em, Cowboys!

Update: “Appropriate action was taken against Jeff Norris based on internal agency policy,” SEC spokesman John Heine said, declining further comment.

Photo: AP

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on April 22, 2009 (boomark / email).