Paul M. Daugerdas
PER
Daugerdas' Paul M. Daugerdas Daugerdas
Paul M. Daugerdas, the tax lawyer at the heart of a broadening federal investigation into questionable tax shelters, has long had an interest in space exploration. The year he established the Chicago office of Jenkens & Gilchrist, he had his name engraved on two microchips inside an unmanned spacecraft named Stardust. In connection with the investigation of Mr. Daugerdas, federal prosecutors have already contacted individuals at several banks, including Deutsche Bank and several accounting firms, including Ernst & Young. According to a lawsuit filed by an Indiana investor, Henry N. Camferdam, Mr. Daugerdas used Deutsche Bank for transactions underlying a shelter known as Cobra for scores of clients. He took home $93 million from 1999 through 2003, putting part of it in a private firm he set up, with Jenkens' blessing, called Treasurex. Thanks to Mr. Daugerdas, Jenkens became one of the fastest-growing law firms in revenue.