53 year old Marc Terbeek, an Oakland workers compensation attorney, is allegedly involved in a massive corruption case filed by the FBI’s Public Corruption and Civil Rights Squad and unsealed this week. What is known are allegations only and are not considered to be true until proven in a court of law. The FBI and IRS raided Terbeek’s office in January 2015 and since then he has been cooperating with investigators.Tarbeek has been informed by the US Attorney that he is also a target of the investigation and is “likely to be prosecuted.” The sworn Affidavit signed by FBI Special Agent Roahn Wynar attached to the criminal complaint against Daniel Rush, a cannabis union leader who faces serious federal charges involving bribery and other matters, claims the following scenario occurred.

Daniel Rush was an official with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union that had established a “Cannabis Division” to organize dispensary employees. He was also closely involved in Measure D, the process to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, and also connected to legalization’s most prominent pitchman: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Rush got in over his head in 2010 when he borrowed $600,000 from Martin Kaufman, a dispensary operator that he could not pay back. In 2014, Rush and workers’ compensation attorney Tarbeek who represented some of the dispensary companies in the area “took steps” to provide “labor benefits” to Kaufman in exchange for forgiveness of the debt. Carl Anderson had an Oakland pot club until 2005, and wanted a new permit in 2010. Anderson tapped Rush and Terbeek for help with the application. Andersen is also cooperating with the FBI.

According to the allegations of paragraph 31 of the Affidavit , Tarbeek admitted to the FBI that he had been paying “kickbacks” to Rush for sending Terbeek legal work since 2004. Rush “encouraged” Terbeek to acquire a workers compensation law practice to litigate cases referred by the Insitutio Laboral de la Raza. In exchange Tarbeek gave Rush a credit card associated with Terbeek’s law firm and Terbeek paid it off routinely. Text messages confirmed this practice continued as late as February 2015. From 2010 to 2015, Rush spent $110,000 on Terbeek’s card, about $2,000 per month, for mostly personal expenses.

Also, Terbeek allegedly agreed to share legal fees with Rush derived from Terbeek’s clients seeking permits to operate dispensaries in California, Nevada, and beyond (Affidavit paragraph 34). After creation of this arrangement, Terbeek paid Rush $5000 as his “share” of the medical marijuana legal fees.

It is likely that this case will become more complex and involve higher level accomplices as it evolves. Only Rush has been charged so far, and others are “cooperating” with authorities, meaning providing information that will lead the FBI on with a complex investigation. The union claims it has fired Rush.