Former Kirkland & Ellis senior partner Theodore Freedman was ordered yesterday by Southern District Judge Deborah Batts (See Profile) to serve a prison term of one year and one day for committing tax fraud. Freedman, a bankruptcy specialist, pleaded guilty in March to four counts of tax fraud for underreporting his partnership income at the firm by more than $2 million between 2001 and 2004 (NYLJ, March 6). The 66-year-old former attorney left his position with the firm's restructuring group in 2010. Under a plea agreement with the government, he is required to pay $671,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and $169,000 to New York State.
Freedman faced a maximum of three years in prison on each count. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Cohen, writing to the judge in a sentencing memo, said that "Freedman was motivated by greed, not need," and asked Batts for a sentence within the guidelines range of 24 to 30 months. Freedman is represented by Paul Shechtman of Zuckerman Spaeder. The case is United States v. Freedman, 11 cr. 599.
