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118 Capitol Street, Suite 400, Charleston, West Virginia 25301

Charleston Attorney Troy Giatras Defends Vivek Shah against Federal Charges in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va., Aug. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The family of Vivek M. Shah of West Hollywood, Calif., has retained Charleston attorney Troy N. Giatras to represent Shah against federal charges in West Virginia.

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A federal grand jury in Charleston indicted Shah on four counts of interfering with interstate commerce and using interstate commerce to threaten extortion. An affidavit from a U.S. Postal Service inspector claims that Shah targeted five people for extortion, including Christopher Cline, a West Virginia native who owns a majority stake in Foresight Reserves, a coal company with operations in Illinois and northern Appalachia. The affidavit does not identify the other four targets of the alleged extortion, but media reports have mentioned film executive Harvey Weinstein and Groupon chairman and cofounder Eric Lefkofsky as two of them.

“Before we rush to judgment, we need to wait until all of the facts are in,” Giatras said. “We are still in the process of gathering those facts. I have had limited discussions with my client and expect to have more when he arrives in West Virginia in the coming week.”

Shah, 25, has had acting roles in movies, television shows and commercials.

Giatras is head of The Giatras Law Firm, PLLC, and has practiced law in Charleston, W.Va., since 1990. He has represented clients in state and federal cases, including appeals to the West Virginia Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. The areas of law in which he practices include federal and state court cases involving white-collar crimes, drug crimes, guns, automobile accidents and business litigation.

More information on the case is available at: www.thewvlawfirm.com and www.thewvlawblog.com.

(NOTE: Giatras is pronounced “GAT-rus” with a hard “G” and rhymes with “mattress.”)

SOURCE Troy Giatras