Late into the night, they darted from office to office, carrying thick reams of documents, building the most prominent legal case to grow out of the financial crisis.

On the fifth floor of the headquarters of the Securities and Exchange Commission, five men and one woman, fueled by Sbarro pizza and Subway sandwiches, worked marathon hours over three months to finalize a case alleging that Goldman Sachs had defrauded clients.

Led by a former federal prosecutor and a pair of veteran SEC investigators, the team was preparing to take legal action against America’s most storied financial firm. On the line was the promise made by SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, appointed by President Obama last year, that the agency would restore its traditional role as an aggressive check on Wall Street abuses.

The team consists of three old hands and three more junior lawyers. Together, former colleagues say, they bring a mix of backgrounds suited for the many dimensions of the Goldman case. They can understand the details of very complex financial products, grasp the nuances of law and simplify complicated issues for a lay jury.

Lorin Reisner, 48, is a former federal prosecutor who was handpicked last year by the new enforcement director Robert Khuzami as his deputy. Under Reisner were agency veterans Ken Lench, 47, and Reid Muoio, 43, who lead a new agency group specializing in the types of exotic investments that nearly wrecked the financial system.

via SEC gathered range of experts for Goldman case.

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