Ex-Goldman director to face criminal charges

SpringMountain

(Reuters) - Rajat Gupta, former Goldman Sachs director and former head of McKinsey & Co, will surrender to the FBI on Wednesday to face criminal insider trading-related charges, a person familiar with the investigation said.

Gupta was named by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in the criminal case against hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam earlier this year.

Rajaratnam was convicted in May by a New York federal jury after a two-month-long trial. On October 13, a judge sentenced him to 11 years in prison, the longest recorded for insider trading.

Gupta's attorney, Gary Naftalis, would not comment late Tuesday on possible criminal charges but issued a statement echoing his previous comments that Gupta committed no wrongdoing.

"Any allegation that Rajat Gupta engaged in any unlawful conduct is totally baseless. The facts demonstrate that Mr Gupta is an innocent man and that he has always acted with honesty and integrity. He did not trade in any securities, did not tip Mr Rajaratnam so he could trade, and did not share in any profits as part of any quid pro quo."

Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for Manhattan U.S. attorney Preet Bharara, declined to comment on Gupta's surrendering to authorities or any possible charges.

The expected charges were first reported by the New York Times on its website.