TIMOTHY APPLEBY
Globe and Mail Update Published on Friday, Dec. 05, 2008 1:11PM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009 9:23PM EDT
A prominent New York City lawyer appeared in a Toronto court on Friday for a bail hearing.
Marc Dreier is charged with personation with intent in connection with a proposed multimillion-dollar agreement between the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and the financial company Fortress Credit Opportunities.
Mr. Dreier was arrested Tuesday afternoon after a meeting of the OTPP at its Yonge Street office in North York.
Since then, he has been held at the Maplehurst detention centre west of Toronto.
Represented by lawyer Edward Greenspan, Mr. Dreier appeared in the prisoner's box in bail court on Finch Avenue West.
His bail application was not immediately dealt with.
It is alleged that he was pretending to be someone else at the meeting, but an OTPP employee knew the real person by sight.
Shortly after that person arrived at the office, police were called.
A statement from the teacher's pension plan included: “On Tuesday afternoon (December 2, 2008) we learned of fraudulent behaviour by an individual visiting our premises. We immediately alerted the police. An individual was arrested by the police and has been charged. No Teachers' staff member was involved in the fraudulent behaviour. We have reviewed our security procedures in relation to this situation and we believe that no Teachers' funds are involved.”
Mr. Dreier, 58, is the founder and managing partner of Dreier LLP, a Park Avenue firm with more than 250 attorneys and offices in California, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The firm's website lists its specialties as commercial litigation, real estate, bankruptcy and corporate reorganization, employment law, corporate and securities, entertainment, sports law, intellectual property, including patent, trademark and copyright law, matrimonial law and tax.
The firm's work with professional athletes, in salary arbitration and contract negotiations, has placed Mr. Dreier in high-flying social circles. His annual charity golf tournament, co-hosted by retired New York Giants football player Michael Strahan, has featured appearances by Alicia Keys and Bon Jovi, while names such as Spike Lee and Steve Nash have graced the guest list.
With a report from Anthony Reinhart
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