Federal prosecutors are seeking to freeze Joe Nacchio’s assets, alleging in a new court filing that the former Qwest chief executive transferred at least $133 million and a house in New Jersey to his wife in early 2002 as his legal problems mounted.
Nacchio was so “paranoid” by October 2002 that he considered divorcing his wife, Anne Esker, “for financial reasons,” according to the filing.
Nacchio was convicted of 19 counts of illegal insider trading last month and prosecutors want him to forfeit $52 million in ill-gotten gains connected to those trades.
“The United States is concerned about whether, with further delay, there will be assets to satisfy any forfeiture (as well as any fines),” prosecutor Kevin Traskos wrote in the filing, made late Friday in federal court in Denver.
