Leaky-Washington Defense Set for Fund Consultant on Trial
- D.C. is ‘the town that never shuts up,’ lawyer tells jurors
- David Blaszczak passed secret tips to hedge fund, U.S. says
Visitors walk in front of the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., U.S.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergA Washington consultant charged with passing government information to hedge funds was part of a Washington culture where leaks and sharing information are the norm, his lawyer said at the start of an insider-trading trial.
David Blaszczak, a former government health agency official, is accused of peddling private of government health-spending policy changes while working as a consultant to hedge funds. His attorney, David Patton, told jurors that employees of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services routinely discuss such information with outside groups and that there was nothing illegal about Blaszczak sharing it.