Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 5:14AM | 
MENU
Advertisement

Qwest, Nacchio settle legal fee dispute

Qwest, Nacchio settle legal fee dispute

DENVER -- Qwest Communications International Inc. said today it will continue to pay just a portion of Joe Nacchio's legal fees as the one-time CEO appeals his $52 million insider trading conviction.

Qwest, which had been required under its bylaws to pick up the legal tab, will pay bills incurred through the day Nacchio was sentenced and a portion of lead defense attorney Herbert Stern's bills during his appeal but it will not pay for Nacchio's appellate attorneys.

In exchange, Nacchio will give Qwest a $6.5 million letter of credit to secure advances Qwest pays, company spokesman Bob Toevs said. Nacchio was sentenced to six years in prison and $71 million fines and forfeitures Friday after he was convicted in April of 19 counts of insider trading for selling stock when he knew Qwest faced financial risk but concealed the problems from investors.

Advertisement

Nacchio, 58, was denied bail during his appeal and is expected to begin his prison term within two months.

The agreement announced today stemmed from a lawsuit Nacchio filed in May, asking a federal judge to order Qwest to continue paying legal fees during the appeal process.

"Any disputes concerning these matters have been postponed and reserved for the conclusion of the appeal in the criminal matter," Stern said in an interview.

Nacchio and four other former Qwest executives are still battling a civil lawsuit accusing them of engineering a financial fraud that forced the Denver-based company to restate $2.2 billion in revenue. Qwest will continue paying legal fees for the civil action, Toevs said.

Advertisement

The criminal and civil cases arose from a federal investigation into a multibillion-dollar accounting scandal that rocked Qwest, a primary telephone service provider in 14 mostly Western states.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has said the company falsely reported fiber-optic network capacity sales as recurring instead of one-time revenue between April 1999 and March 2002. They said the practice allowed Qwest to improperly report about $3 billion in revenue and helped it acquire former Baby Bell U S West Inc.

First Published: July 30, 2007, 7:15 p.m.

RELATED
Comments Disabled For This Story
Partners
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) slides after making a first down and is hit by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) and safety Ar'Darius Washington (29) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
1
sports
Gerry Dulac: Steelers might not have to run far to find next year's QB
Sen. John Fetterman arrives for the inauguration ceremony where Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th  President in the United States on Jan. 20, 2025.
2
news
'Democracy for sale' or a 'Golden Age': Pa. lawmakers respond to President Donald Trump's inauguration
As a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus was lifted to be towed, smoke started to billow as a fire restarted on 5Th ave on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Oakland.
3
news
Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus catches fire in Oakland
A City of Pittsburgh River Rescue boat navigates through ice on the Allegheny River Downtown on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Pittsburgh is under a cold weather advisory until Wednesday.
4
news
Pittsburgh's deep freeze has arrived — but the coldest temps are still to come
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium announced the death of a 17-year-old Masai giraffe named Sox. The zoo said Sox was euthanized on Jan. 17, 2025.
5
local
Pittsburgh zoo announces death of 17-year-old giraffe Sox
Advertisement
LATEST business
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story