SAN JOSE, Calif., April 18 (UPI) -- A former vice president of Cisco Systems was being sought as a fugitive from justice Thursday after he disappeared while awaiting trial on charges he stole millions of dollars in cash and stock from the Silicon Valley high-tech company.
Robert Gordon, 42, had been free on $5 million bail when he failed to show up Tuesday for a court appearance in San Jose.
"The United States considers Mr. Gordon a fugitive from justice," the U.S. Attorney's office announced late Wednesday, adding that an arrest warrant had been issued and the public was being urged to contact the FBI with any leads.
Gordon, the former vice president and director of business development at Cisco, was indicted on May 9, 2001 on two counts of wire fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to siphon off company funds and shares of stock owned by the company in 1999 and 2000.
He had been scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel Tuesday for a status hearing on the ongoing plea negotiations in the case. His lawyer told the San Jose Mercury News that he had no idea where his client was and was growing worried.
"I have concern because he is a very responsible person," attorney Paul Sigelman said. "Other than that, I have no greater knowledge than any others involved in this matter."
The Mercury News said that a reporter dispatched to Gordon's upscale Palo Alto home found the yard neatly maintained, but mail and newspapers were piling up at the front door.
Gordon faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted, but the newspaper said he had not been considered a flight risk despite the hefty bail.
Gordon allegedly used his position at Cisco to transfer more than 163,000 shares of stock in companies such as Microsoft and Terayon into an offshore account in the name of "Cisco Systems, Inc., Bahamas," the U.S. Attorney's office said. The account was allegedly opened without the company's authorization and was controlled by Gordon.
The second count alleged that Gordon convinced Cisco to provide a $15 million loan for an affiliated start-up company called Spanlink. The complex financing arrangement resulted in Gordon banking $5 million in a Bermuda account.
