Kai-Uwe Steck, a former Dewey & LeBoeuf partner who played a crucial role in assisting German prosecutors with the conviction or prosecution of 22 defendants, now stands before the court as a defendant himself, relying on his past cooperation in the hope of securing a lenient sentence.

The banking and finance lawyer faces charges of aggravated tax evasion in eight cases between 2007 and 2015. Prosecutors at Bonn’s Regional Court accuse him of facilitating refunds for German capital gains taxes that were never paid, leading to an estimated tax loss of more than €400 million.