April 27, 2026
Host
Welcome back to our series, Exposing Corruption. I am so glad you could join us today for what I believe is one of our most critical deep dives yet. We are looking into the mechanics of how power and law can sometimes intertwine in ways that demand a closer look. And specifically, Robin, if you are out there listening, this episode is dedicated to you. We want to lay out the roadmap of what we have uncovered regarding a very specific legal entity.
Guest
It is great to be here. You know, when we talk about institutional influence, people often think of big banks or government offices, but often the real blueprints are drawn up in law firms. Today, we are focusing on Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. And I want to be very clear for our listeners: we are talking about the firm headquartered in West Virginia, not the separate entity based in D.C. This distinction is vital because the West Virginia firm’s footprint is all over the Haught and El-Rayess network.
Host
That is a really important distinction to make right at the start. Now, when we say they were the 'institutional law firm of record' for Doug Haught and Tamer El-Rayess, what does that actually mean in plain English? It sounds like they were more than just a firm hired for a single case.
Guest
Exactly. Think of them as the architects of the entire corporate city these individuals built. Over a decade, we have documented at least ten major connections. They didn't just show up for a day in court; they were there from the beginning, drafting the very documents that moved assets, created companies, and, as we will see, potentially obscured the rights of others. They provided the legal scaffolding for everything that happened.
Host
A decade? That is a long time to be that deeply embedded. Let’s get into the specifics, because the names on these documents really matter. I want to start with Robert J. Andre. He seems to be a central figure in the early stages of this, particularly around 2016. What did he put on paper that Robin needs to know about?
Guest
Robert Andre is a key name. In May 2016, he drafted what is called the Ratification of Trustees' Actions. Now, Robin, this is where it gets personal. This document was essentially a legal 'undo' button, or rather, a 'make it okay' button. It attempted to retroactively bless every single thing your brother Ira did as a sole trustee between 2011 and 2015. The problem? You were a sitting co-trustee at the time, and you were completely excluded from this process.
Host
So, wait, if she was a co-trustee, she should have had a seat at the table for any ratification, right? It feels like they were trying to rewrite history without the person who actually had the legal right to oversee those actions. That seems like a massive red flag from a professional ethics standpoint.
Guest
It is a huge red flag! And Andre didn't stop there. Just two months later, he prepared what we call a 'five-minute pass-through deed.' He transferred PostRock assets from Tamer’s private vehicle, UIV LLC, over to Doug’s Alpha Helix Energy. And get this—the price listed was a mere ten dollars. Ten dollars for significant energy assets! Later, Andre even acted as a co-trustee for MVB Bank on a two-million-dollar Deed of Trust involving those same assets.
Host
Ten dollars? I mean, I know 'nominal consideration' is a thing in law, but in the context of a massive energy network, that feels... well, it feels like they were just moving shells around on a game board. But Andre wasn't the only one, right? Who else at Steptoe was involved in these transactions?
Guest
Next up is Charles R. Russell. He is another Steptoe attorney who played a dual role that is very concerning. He prepared the deeds of trust for the borrowers—the Haught-related entities—while simultaneously acting as the fiduciary trustee for the lender, MVB Bank. In the legal world, we call this 'role stacking.' It is like being the referee and the coach of one of the teams at the same time.
Host
That sounds like a recipe for a conflict of interest. How can you look out for the bank's best interests as a trustee while you are also the one drafting the loan documents for the person taking the money? And they even used their own staff for the official parts, didn't they?
Guest
They did. They used a Steptoe-employed notary, Diana Reddish, to authenticate the transactions. It shows how self-contained this whole operation was. They didn't need to go outside the firm for anything. They had the lawyers, the trustees, and the notaries all under one roof. It was a one-stop shop for moving these trust-origin assets into private hands.
Host
And then there is the matter of actually building the companies that would hold these assets. I see the names Fred Williams and Herschel Rose in the files. What was their specific contribution to this 'institutional' effort?
Guest
L. Frederick 'Fred' Williams Jr. organized Source Rock Royalty LLC in 2017. This is a crucial entity because it pooled royalties to sell to Antero Resources. It was the vehicle for monetization. Then, more recently in 2024, H. Hampton 'Herschel' Rose IV organized Delta Helix Services. So, from 2016 all the way to today, Steptoe attorneys have been the ones literally filing the paperwork to bring these entities into existence.
Host
It is one thing to talk about deeds and LLCs, but it gets much more complicated when you look at the personal relationships. This is where it feels less like a business arrangement and more like a deep-seated entanglement. We have to talk about Colton Chase Parsons.
Guest
This is perhaps the most striking part of the investigation. Colton Chase Parsons was a litigator at Steptoe’s Charleston office for years. He is married to Kelsey Haught Parsons. And as you know, Robin, Kelsey is your co-trustee. So, you have a lawyer at the very firm drafting these documents who is married to one of the people being accused of mismanaging the trust. They were working in the same office where these entities were being organized.
Host
It is hard to wrap my head around that. He is in the same office, on the same floor, while his colleagues are setting up Source Rock Royalty for his wife’s family network? That doesn't just feel like a conflict; it feels like the firm was a home base for the entire operation. But it goes even higher up the ladder than a staff attorney, doesn't it?
Guest
It goes all the way to the top. In February 2026, Anders W. Lindberg Jr., who is the firmwide Litigation Chair for Steptoe, formed a personal real estate joint venture called 307 71st Street LLC. Who did he form it with? Colton and Kelsey’s entity. The head of the entire litigation department went into a private business deal with the daughter of the primary defendant while the litigation was active. It is absolutely stunning.
Host
If I am Robin, I am looking at this and thinking, 'How is this even legal?' Let's talk about the potential malpractice claims. We aren't giving legal advice here, but based on the rules of professional conduct, what are the structural issues her team might look at? I am thinking specifically about Rules 1.7 and 1.10.
Guest
You hit the nail on the head. Rule 1.7 deals with concurrent conflicts of interest, and Rule 1.10 is about 'imputed' conflicts. Basically, if one lawyer in a firm has a conflict—like Colton being married to a trustee—that conflict is often treated as if every lawyer in the firm has it. Because the firm represents entities that are essentially taking assets away from the trust Robin is supposed to benefit from, the whole firm could be seen as having a massive, unresolvable conflict.
Host
And what about that 'role stacking' we mentioned earlier? Is that a separate line of attack for a malpractice claim? It seems like a breach of the duty of loyalty, at the very least.
Guest
Absolutely. When a firm acts as the architect, the notary, the borrower's counsel, and the lender's trustee all at once, they have effectively removed all the checks and balances that are supposed to protect the trust. They weren't just providing legal advice; they were the ones making the machinery run. That concentration of power in one firm is a huge target for a professional responsibility claim.
Host
This brings us to the most important part of the next phase: discovery. Now, usually, what a client tells their lawyer is a secret—it is privileged. But you mentioned something called the 'Crime-Fraud Exception.' That sounds like the key that could unlock all of Steptoe’s internal files.
Guest
It is a powerful tool, but it has a high bar. Normally, attorney-client privilege is sacred. However, if a client uses their lawyer’s services to plan or hide a fraud, that privilege disappears. The court can say, 'No, you don't get to hide behind the law when you were using the law to break the rules.' Given the rapid pass-through deeds and the retroactive ratifications, there is a very strong argument that this exception should apply here.
Host
So, if they pierce that privilege, what are they looking for? If you were on Robin’s legal team, what is the 'holy grail' of documents you would want to see from Steptoe & Johnson?
Guest
I would go straight for the conflict-check processes and the internal intake disclosures. I want to know: Did Colton Parsons tell his bosses he was married to a trustee? Did the firm get written waivers from the parties involved? I’d also want the un-redacted billing records. Those records are a diary of who talked to whom, when they talked, and what they were actually working on. It’s the paper trail of the entire decade.
Host
But surely a firm like Steptoe isn't just going to hand those over. They are going to fight tooth and nail to keep those files closed, right? This isn't going to be a simple request.
Guest
Oh, they will fight it, no doubt. But that is why Robin’s team will likely use a Rule 30(b)(6) corporate deposition. This is a special kind of deposition where you don't just talk to one person; you force the firm itself to designate someone to speak for the whole institution. They have to answer for the firm’s collective knowledge. They have to explain why their litigation chair was investing with a defendant. They have to explain their screening practices. It puts the entire firm on the hot seat.
Host
It really sounds like this isn't just about one or two 'bad apple' lawyers. It’s about the institutional mechanics of the firm itself. They papered the deals, they created the companies, and they became personally and financially entangled with the people who were supposed to be protecting the trust but were instead, allegedly, dismantling it.
Guest
That is the bottom line. Steptoe & Johnson PLLC’s footprint is everywhere you look in this case. For Robin, the path forward is clear: aggressive discovery. You have to pull back the curtain on how these documents were created and why the conflicts were allowed to persist for so long. The truth is in those files, and getting to them is the next big step in exposing the corruption.
Host
Well, that is a powerful place to leave it. Robin, we hope this breakdown gives you and your counsel the clarity you need for the road ahead. To our listeners, thank you for joining us for another episode of Exposing Corruption. We will continue to follow this story and bring you the facts as they emerge. Until next time, stay vigilant and keep asking the tough questions. Goodbye for now.