With the mystery of where Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein has been spending the past few days over, the mystery of whether he had help in his $1.2 billion scam may soon be answered.
Debra Villegas, chief operating officer for Rothstein's now-defunct lawfirm where he perpetrated his massive fraud, will likely be charged with money-laundering conspiracy in the next week, according to the Miami Herald.
Villegas, 42, could be the first of many arrests from the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm as prosecutors untangle the Rothstein mess.
First a paralegal with the firm in the 1990s, Villegas rose to the prominent position and became one of Rothstein's closest advisers, who he called his second-in-command.
Rothstein, 47, pleaded guilty in January to racketeering, money laundering and fraud in connection with the $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme by duping clients into investing millions in fake legal settlements.
Villegas is expected to plead guilty, according to the Herald, and cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
At Rothstein's January court appearance, U.S Attorney Jeffrey Sloman, who is prosecuting the case, wouldn't comment about whether more arrests were coming but hinted that Rothstein likely didn't act alone.
"Rest assured that we are not done and rest assured that we intend to follow every lead and to bring to justice those who helped perpetrate this $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme," Sloman said.
Facing a maximum of 100 years in prison may not be sitting too well with Rothstein. He was transferred from the Miami-Dade detention center where he's been spending the past few months on Friday and brought to a hospital for a mysterious "medical incident."
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More intrigue was added when Rothstein was taken from the hospital to a jail in St. Lucie, rather than return to Miami-Dade, without any explanation from authorities.
Rothstein's lawyer wouldn't say what the medical incident was though Rothstein has revealed that he suffers from anxiety as well as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Rothstein's sentencing is set for May 6.
