A top Wall Street dealmaker left an elite New York investment bank after his bosses found out he allegedly had an affair with a younger co-worker on his team, The Post has learned.
Adam Taetle stepped down as senior managing director at Evercore — the firm founded by deep-pocketed Democratic Party operative Roger Altman — following an HR probe into the relationship, four sources close to the situation told The Post.
The reportedly randy rainmaker — a married father of three — exited the firm amid claims of “having a sexual relationship with a female junior employee on his team,” one source said.
The departure this spring of Taetle, a six-year veteran of the firm — recently branded “Goldman North” in a Financial Times article that chronicled its success — “was all very sudden,” another source told The Post.
A third company insider — among a half-dozen who spoke to The Post about Taetle’s exit — confirmed: “There was definitely a cloud around him leaving.”
Taetle quickly landed on his feet, joining global investment firm Lazard in June, according to public records.
Evercore was founded in 1995 by Altman after he quit the first Clinton administration a year earlier over the Whitewater scandal, in which he allegedly tipped off the Clinton family of an impending probe into their purchase of an Arkansas ranch.
The Post has been unable to verify when the alleged relationship began between Taetle and the younger woman, who sources said is no longer with the company.
The 55-year-old banker was hit with divorce papers in New York state Supreme Court by his wife, Andrea West Taetle, a civil rights lawyer, on Nov. 10 of last year, according to court records.
Details of their divorce case are shielded by New York privacy laws, which require matrimonial filings to be kept under seal. The two sides reached a settlement in June, according to the case docket. Sources close to the family said their split will be finalized by the court within the coming months.
New York property records show the couple resided in a swanky building in Manhattan’s trendy Tribeca neighborhood, where condos regularly go on sale for $3 million.
Jeffrey Zukerman, an attorney for Taetle, said allegations that he was involved in an affair are “false and absurd.”
“We deny them in the strongest of terms,” he told The Post, insisting that Taetle had merely taken a career break to spend time with his family.
An Evercore spokesperson said: “We do not comment on personnel matters.”
After The Post first approached Taetle’s new employer for comment, Hazel Crampton-Hays, a former press secretary for Govs. Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo, of crisis communications firm Risa Heller initially replied on Taetle’s behalf.
Risa Heller, which declined to comment, represented Anthony Weiner during his sexting shame, as well as ex-CNN boss Jeff Zucker when Page Six broke the exclusive story of his illicit liaisons with deputy Allison Gollust. The firm has also repped Harvey Weinstein in 2015 when he was charged by the Manhattan DA with groping an Italian model.
Former co-workers described Taetle, a Wharton MBA graduate, as being “well-respected” by his peers.
But he was also seen as a tough taskmaster who intimidated some staffers with his brash and blunt leadership style, sources said.
“He didn’t need to be liked. He was one of the bosses,” said one source familiar with the matter.
A family member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Taetle was being worked “to the bone” at the office.
An alum of Goldman Sachs and Barclays Capital, Taetle handled multiple money-spinning deals in the consumer and retail sector during his six-year stint at Evercore. Those include Campbell Soup’s $2.7 billion acquisition of Sovos Brands, as well as Pinnacle Foods’ sale to Conagra Brands.
His impending departure from Evercore was reported on April 19 by Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter.
Taetle left Evercore the following month, according to his Linkedin profile.
Taetle joined Lazard at the end of June to lead its global consumer, retail and leisure business, according to an update on his broker profile on the website of US regulator FINRA.
Taetle’s appointment with Lazard, led by former President Barack Obama’s one-time budget czar Peter Orszag, was first reported by Bloomberg on June 5. It is unclear if his new bosses were aware of the circumstances in which the big-earning financier left his last job.
A spokeswoman for the financial services giant did not respond to The Post’s multiple requests for comment.
Mike Long, a managing director in Taetle’s team at Evercore, was reportedly set to follow him to Lazard, Bloomberg reported. Long will advise on M&A deals involving consumer retail companies. His FINRA profile shows that he has yet to take up his new position.
