Brockman’s obsession with detail and secrecy is outlined in the account filed in Bermudian court. It says Brockman regarded himself as the de facto trustee of his offshore holdings who controlled all aspects of how they were managed. For example, Brockman issued to-do lists to underlings who were required to submit undated resignation letters that the boss could invoke at will.
Brockman had undergone an IRS audit previously and sought to avoid another one, the document shows. To avoid exposing his trust network, Brockman insisted on keeping documents on secure data storage cards and other encrypted devices, it says. Tamine once dispatched a courier with an unencrypted version of the database, eliciting a warning from his boss to never repeat the mistake, according to the account. In a to-do list years later, it says, Brockman referred to it as the worst data security breach ever in the management of his holdings.
Code Names
Indicative of his penchant for privacy, Brockman adopted code names and used phones that left no trace of his calls, according to the filing. The IRS was known as “The House” and he was “John Barnes.” Later, after he and his advisers began communicating through the web domain houstonfishingservices.com, Brockman was identified as “Permit” and Tamine as “Redfish.” Another trustee was referred to as “Snapper” and “Chum.”
“Robert T. Brockman is a private individual who values his privacy, which is every person’s right,” said Keneally, his lawyer. “A desire to safeguard one’s privacy does not mean that a person has something to hide, or that he may have engaged in criminal conduct.”
To ensure security, Tamine sometimes delivered encrypted data to Brockman in person. In June 2018, Tamine traveled to Rome to hand his boss a data storage card with updated information on the trust structure and related entities, according to the filing. Tamine was invited to join Brockman aboard the Albula, a 200-foot luxury yacht, it indicates. The Albula carries 14 crew members, eight cabins and a helipad, according to a yacht charter website.
Entities tied to Brockman alleged wrongdoing by Tamine in court filings after he began cooperating with prosecutors, the people familiar with the matter said. Under the laws of the U.K. and Bermuda, they used sealed court filings to accuse Tamine of stealing more than $20 million.
Since then, Tamine has fought back vigorously, saying in sealed court papers that he got his boss’s approval to receive an advance of six years’ pay, legal fees and the cost of a Bermuda home to house the Brockman trust. He has placed the money in a U.K. court trust account, according to a person familiar with the matter. Tamine’s annual pay rose to $2.6 million in 2018 from $205,000 in 2005, the documents show.
‘Bogus Allegations’
A spokesperson for Tamine’s lawyers at Mishcon de Reya declined to comment for this story. The person referred to a statement provided to Bloomberg last month.
“Mr. Tamine is an important cooperating witness into a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation in relation to Bob Brockman,” the spokesperson said at that time. “The bogus allegations of theft were raised by entities associated with Mr. Brockman only after he agreed to assist the DOJ and are clearly designed to undermine his credibility as a witness. Those same entities tried (ultimately without success) to delay access to key documents by Mr. Tamine and the DOJ.”
U.S. prosecutors have come to Tamine’s defense while also expressing anger about the shift in control of trust assets. The lead prosecutor, Corey Smith, sent a letter in March to a partner at Miller & Chevalier, a Washington firm that has worked for some Brockman-related entities and also represented Tamine at one point, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.