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---
tags: ["Person", "Lawyer", "Banker", "BCCI"]
---
Robert Altman was a prominent American lawyer and banker, known for his close association with [[Clark Clifford]] and his involvement in the [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] scandal. He served as the former president of [[First American Bank]] and was Clifford's law partner and protégé. Altman, along with Clifford, acted as BCCI's chief American counsel from 1978 to 1990.[^1]
Altman was a key figure in BCCI's secret acquisition of American banks, including [[Financial General Bankshares]] and the [[National Bank of Georgia]]. He and Clifford were instrumental in navigating regulatory hurdles and concealing BCCI's true ownership through a network of nominees.[^2] Their involvement in these transactions led to accusations of bribery and fraud.
### Early Career and Relationship with Clifford
Altman was considered a "whiz kid" at [[Clifford & Warnke]], known for his ambition and indefatigable work ethic. By 1977, at the age of thirty, Clifford brought him in to assist [[Bert Lance]] in his defense against Congress and assigned him to BCCI, one of the firm's most important new clients.[^3] Their professional relationship evolved into a formidable legal team, with Clifford playing the role of the elder statesman and Altman handling the more aggressive aspects.[^4]
Altman's personal life was marked by a desire for material possessions, contrasting with Clifford's more ascetic lifestyle. He married actress and former Miss USA [[Lynda Carter]] in 1984, a wedding that commingled Hollywood glamour and Washington elites. [[Agha Hasan Abedi]] himself offered Altman's new wife a choice of cars as a wedding present.[^5]
### Involvement in BCCI Scandal
Altman and Clifford orchestrated the $20-million defense of BCCI in Tampa against money-laundering charges.[^6] When Senator [[John Kerry]]'s subcommittee began investigating BCCI, Altman was alleged to have advised [[Amjad Awan]], a BCCI banker, to flee the country.[^7] He and Clifford were accused of lying to U.S. banking regulators about BCCI's secret ownership of First American.[^8]
In February 1988, Altman and Clifford sold a large portion of their stock in First American to a BCCI front man, making significant profits.[^9] This sale occurred around the time of [[Jose Blandon]]'s testimony linking BCCI to [[Manuel Noriega]]'s drug money and Abedi's heart attack, which ended his direct control of the bank.[^10]
Altman was indicted by a New York grand jury in July 1992, along with Clark Clifford, on charges related to bribery and fraud for their role in helping BCCI influence First American Bank's affairs.[^11]
## Footnotes
[^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 8.
[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 194.
[^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 189.
[^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 189.
[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 189.
[^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 218.
[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 218.
[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 30.
[^9]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 215.
[^10]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 215.
[^11]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 14.