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Law Firm Tied To Shapiro Sued By Bankruptcy Trustee

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The bankruptcy trustee for Nevin Shapiro's former company, Capitol Investments USA, has sued the massive law firm of Shook, Hardy, & Bacon to try to recover some of the money lost to Shapiro's massive Ponzi scheme.

The lawsuit, according to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald, accuses attorney Marc Levinson and the entire firm of "aiding and abetting" Shapiro's law breaking in his $930 million investment scam. Shapiro is currently serving a 20-year federal sentence for his role in the Ponzi scheme.

The lawfirm hired an attorney to represent it and Levinson in the case and said it was "disappointed" over the legal fight with the bankruptcy trustee.

According to the Herald, the lawsuit is "based on depositions by Levinson…and other Shook, Hardy & Bacon lawyers, as well as internal law firm records, emails and Shapiro's financial documents."

The Herald reported the firm gave advice to Shapiro from 2003-2009 on his investment in Axcess Sports & Entertainment, along with advice on his dealing with investors for his Miami Beach based Ponzi scheme.

The lawsuit said, according to the Herald, the lawfim "knew Shapiro broke NCAA rules and Florida law by acting as an unlicensed sports agent who recruited Hurricanes players for the NFL, while providing them with cash and other gifts, such as parties at his Miami Beach mansion, his yacht, and local strip clubs."

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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