All About Steve
At approximately 10:05am ET yesterday morning, the political aspirations of Steven L. Rattner were pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed an overdose of hubris, and a deficiency of caution. In a 27-page document, the New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo lays out a narrative in which Rattner -- then a partner of private equity firm Quadrangle Group -- fought to secure business for the brother of New York’s chief investment officer, at the urging of now-indicted “finder” Hank Morris. Specifically, Rattner persuaded a Quadrangle portfolio company (since defunct) sign a DVD distribution deal for the brother’s film – “Chooch” – over the initial objections of portfolio company management. Once the DVD distribution deal was signed, Rattner retained Morris as a “placement agent,” in order to secure fund commitments for Quadrangle Group. Morris helped Quadrangle raise $100 million from the New York State Common Retirement Fund, even though one of Quadrangle’s legitimate placement agents – Monument Group – only had been able to secure between $25 million and $50 million. This increase occurred without Morris setting up or attending any meetings with NYCRF on Quadrangle’s behalf. Morris also helped Quadrangle secure $75 million from New York City, in part via a deal with another placement agent named Julio Ramirez, who last year pled guilty to securities fraud. Quadrangle did not disclose Morris and Ramirez's involvement in official disclosure forms. As a follow-up, the CIO’s brother helped put Rattner in touch with potential investors on the West Coast. These included Elliott Broidy, who sat on the board of the Los Angeles Fire & Police Pension Fund. That system gave Quadrangle $10 million, and Broidy has since pled guilty to felony charges of rewarding official misconduct.
