Robert Bettacchi
As former senior vice president of WR Grace and Co., Bob Bettacchi is charged in U.S. v. Grace et al with conspiring to pollute and defraud the U.S. government.
Bettacchi climbed the corporate ladder at Grace for 37 years before being placed on administrative leave with pay in order to prepare his defense in February of 2005. He was paid over $600,000 in salary and bonuses that year, and then retired.
Bettacchi graduated from Villanova University in 1964 with a Bachelor’s of Science in chemical engineering. He holds 16 patents, including one for “sprayable fireproofing,” which calls for the use of vermiculite, the mineral at the source of the asbestos contamination problem in Libby. Sprayable fireproofing was also used in the construction of the World Trade Center, and has been cited as potentially the source of much of the asbestos contamination of New York City after the attacks of September 11th, 2001.
Bettacchi is also associated with several charities including the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, St. Francis House (Boston’s largest homeless shelter), and the Alzheimer’s Association. He lives with his wife, Karen, in Lexington, MA.
– Daniel Doherty
Attorneys representing Robert Bettacchi
Thomas C. Frongillo
Weil Gotshal and Manges, Boston, Mass.
Thomas Frongillo, a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in Boston, Mass., represents Robert J. Bettacchi, a former senior vice president of W.R. Grace in U.S. v W.R. Grace Co. et al.
Frongillo was recognized as the “Best Lawyer” for white-collar criminal defense in the 2009 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America.”
Frongillo concentrates on white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions, regulatory investigations and proceedings, and business litigation. He graduated magna cum laude from the College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in 1979. He later went on to earn his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1982.
For roughly 10 years prior to entering private practice Frongillo served as a assistant United States attorney for the District of Massachusetts. During that time he was lead prosecutor in a case known as “Operation Southwest Express.” The case was a multi-district prosecution of 100 individuals and was the largest international drug and money laundering prosecution conducted by the FBI at that time.
In the course of his career, Frongillo has received awards for his work from The United States Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Criminal Investigation of Internal Revenue Service, the United States Customs Service, the Boston Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police and the New York Police Department, to name a few.
– Elizabeth Diehl
Brian K. Gallik
Goetz, Gallik & Baldwin P.C.
Bozeman, Mont.
Lawyers meeting for a noontime showdown usually do so at a city, county, state, or federal court – not a basketball court.
But Brian Gallik, a partner at the Bozeman, Mont., lawfirm of Goetz, Gallik & Baldwin P.C., remembers a few years ago when he and other lawyers would meet and compete in the gym rather than in front of a judge.
“He’s gone beyond (the noon basketball league) now,” said James Goetz, also a partner at the law firm. “He’s very athletic. He’s an avid (telemark) skier and fly-fisherman.”
When Gallik is in the courtroom, he specializes in criminal law, personal injury, employment law, real property and land use law, as well as general practice, trial practice and appellate practice.
“(Gallik’s) got an incredible caseload,” Goetz said. “He’s overworked, but he’s competent and very effective.”
Gallik, 48, graduated with a law degree from the University of Oregon in 1989. He received his B.A. in 1985 after attending school at Oregon State University and Montana State University.
In U.S. v. W.R. Grace et al, Gallik represents Robert J. Bettacchi, a senior vice president of Grace, one of seven Grace executives or former employees indicted on federal conspiracy charges in February 2005. Bettacchi was also indicted on two counts of knowing endangerment related to the sale or transfer of Grace property contaminated with asbestos.
Click here for additional biographic coverage of Brian K. Gallik
– Carly Flandro
Vernon Broderick
Weil Gotshal and Manges, New York
David B. Hird
Weil Gotshal and Manges, Washington, DC
Patrick J. O’Toole
Weil Gotshal and Manges, Boston, MA 02110