Cold War Patriot Defense Helps Giffen Beat Bribe Case

Jim Giffen, an oil consultant and merchant bank owner, spent the last years of the Cold War brokering business deals between the U.S. and Soviet Union while serving as a secret communication conduit between governments.

He later worked as a go-between for oil-rich Kazakhstan and energy companies including Chevron Corp. and the former Mobil Oil Corp., negotiating payments for exploration rights. And for that, he was indicted.