Seth Hettena | Journalist and author

Leon Shahinian’s $63k Big Apple visit

Seth Hettena — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:47:22 +0000

“I believe you’re on to more than you realize.” So reads an e-mail redirecting my attention to some of the CalPERS court documents I posted online last month. My anonymous correspondent is a former advisor to the CalPERS board who points out some interesting details buried in the hotel bills from CalPERS senior investment official Leon [...]

Duke to Judge: “You can only push a man so far, your honor”

Seth Hettena — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:00:02 +0000

The gigantic ego that is former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham has written an angry letter to his sentencing judge, complaining that the IRS is “killing” him and his family by seizing his remaining savings. Cunningham insists that as a highly decorated veteran, he deserves far better. Read Duke’s Letter (.pdf) Writing from his minimum security [...]

Brent “The Enigma” Wilkes surfaces in attack ad

Seth Hettena — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:40:37 +0000

Free on bond, Brent “The Enigma” Wilkes is spending time at the poker table these days, but his scandalous past is featured in a new attack ad in Missouri’s Senate race. Wilkes is referred to in the ad by Missouri Democrat Robin Carnahan he “defense contractor convicted of bribery” who provided private jet trips for [...]

Inside the CalPERS Sausage Factory

Seth Hettena — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:44:28 +0000

I’ve posted some court documents relating to a bribery investigation that involves some big names in the private equity world: CalPERS, the giant California pension; Leon Black’s Apollo Group Christopher Bower’s Pacific Corporate Group in La Jolla Gerry Parsky’s Aurora Capital Group. See the CalPERS documents Some background: California Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office in [...]

San Diego attorney on Roger Clemens defense team

Seth Hettena — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:20:31 +0000

The Houston Chronicle is out with a profile of San Diego attorney Michael Attanasio who’s joining former pitcher Roger Clemens’ defense team. Padres general manager Kevin Towers tells the Chronicle he “couldn’t be happier” for both Attanasio and Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young award winner who pleaded not guilty today to lying to Congress when [...]

Dana Perino Out as Mina Lobbyist

Seth Hettena — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:40:26 +0000

On July 26th, I broke the news on this blog that former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino had joined the team of lobbyists working for a secretive defense contractor that is at the center of a congressional investigation of a $1.4 billion contract to supply aviation fuel at the U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan. [...]

The Yacht Always Gets Them

Seth Hettena — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:54:34 +0000

A $1.8 million yacht purchased in Chula Vista figures in a U.S. bribery investigation of a senior official at Mexico’s state-run national electric utility. The Mexican official, Nestor Moreno, received the yacht sold by the now-defunct South Shore Yacht Sales in Chula Vista. South Shore Yacht Sales was registered to a Robin Goodman. County records [...]

Carly Fiorina and the HP Pretexting Scandal

Seth Hettena — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:53:59 +0000

Did former chairman and chief executive Carly Fiorina play a role in the spying scandal that tarnished the once sterling reputation of Hewlett-Packard Corporation? Revelations in 2006 that company investigators, using private and confidential information provided by HP, had posed as board members and journalists to obtain private phone records and e-mails created a public [...]

More Bank Failures

Seth Hettena — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:18:48 +0000

Pacific Western Bank of San Diego is picking up 11 new California branches north of LA and $770 million in fresh deposits following the failure of Los Padres Bank in Solvang, California. As part of the deal, Pacific Western Bank has agreed to purchase essentially all of Los Padres’ assets (loans) of $870.4 million. The [...]

Investoradio Interview

Seth Hettena — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:35:12 +0000

I’ll be on Investoradio this Saturday, Aug. 21, talking about Ray Lucia and high fees. You can listen online through this link. Just like Lucia, Investoradio hosts Tom Cock and Don McDonald run their own investment advisory, but their fees are less than 1 percent, compared to as much as 2.9 percent for RJL Wealth [...]