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to manage construction of the pipelines and related plant.
Mr. Syphrett’s role was to secure contracts (the Contracts) with
the owners of gas-producing properties. The legal work related
to the projects was handled by W. Michael Stephens and his law
firm of Baker, Brown, Sharman, Wise & Stephens (Baker, Brown).
All of the projects were to be organized in the same way.
Each project would be organized as a limited partnership and
financed by selling limited partnership interests. After the
limited partnership interests in a project had been sold,
Mr. Syphrett would assign the related Contracts to the limited
partnership. Intrastate would then obtain an interest in the
limited partnership and become a partner.
By 1981, three of the projects had been completed to the
point where limited partnerships were organized and interests
therein sold; the remaining two projects were in the process of
being formed. In or about 1981, Mr. Syphrett learned that Mr.
Wiewall had allegedly been submitting false and inflated
construction invoices for one or more of the projects. When
Mr. Syphrett objected to Mr. Wiewall’s alleged overcharging of
costs, Mr. Stephens allegedly drafted legal documents regarding
the two uncompleted projects so as to exclude Mr. Syphrett and
Intrastate from participation. At that time, Mr. Syphrett had
assigned all but two of the Contracts to a limited partnership or
partnerships.
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Last modified: May 25, 2011