Once high-flying Savvis executive now mired in legal woes

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Andrew Gladney's hard-charging personality led him to great heights as a technology entrepreneur in the mid-1990s, motivating the young trust-funder to abandon a life of leisure and co-found what is now called Savvis Inc.

But now, Gladney, 45, sits in jail awaiting trial on extortion charges, denied bail this week because a federal judge ruled he is a danger to the community. A string of civil lawsuits and criminal charges over the last seven years -- including accusations of assault, forcible sodomy and distributing controlled substances -- has drained Gladney's fortune and ruined his once-vaunted standing in St. Louis' tightly knit business community.

Gladney's fall from grace has been accelerated by media accounts of erratic behavior. A recent two-part series in the alternative weekly the Riverfront Times played out like a sordid Greek tragedy -- following Gladney from his years at Yale, to his high-flying Internet executive days, to allegations of crime and a sordid lifestyle.

"Just like anyone else reading the papers, you say, 'Whew. Here's someone out of control,"' said Gladney's half brother, Frank Gladney.

Defense attorney Scott Rosenblum said Gladney is holding up well in jail, and is ready to fight the charges. Rosenblum has represented Gladney in several case over the years, and is currently defending him against the federal charges of extortion and blackmail.

"We're just preparing for trial at the moment," Rosenblum said. He declined to comment on much of Gladney's behavior, but said he is confident Gladney will be able to find a fair and impartial jury that hasn't been swayed by recent media coverage.

Rosenblum said the sodomy and assault charges filed against Gladney in 2001 were dropped because the only witness in the case had credibility problems.

Gladney remains a wealthy man -- at least on paper.

His grandfather, Franklin Gladney, was a partner in the company that invented 7-Up, according to the Riverfront Times. Much of Franklin Gladney's fortune remains, and Andrew Gladney still has a net worth of $3.2 million, according to court papers. But that money is tied up in a trust fund and Andrew Gladney has limited access to it.

In 1995 Gladney had money to spare. He used it to found Savvis, a provider of high-speed Internet connections for business. He was on the forefront of the Internet boom, and his company's name for a time adorned the downtown arena that is home to the St. Louis Blues.

In 1999, Gladney sold his interest in Savvis when the company was purchased by Bridge Information Systems, which later went bankrupt. Since that time he has dabbled in other Internet and real estate ventures.

Frank Gladney said Andrew recently called him and seemed to be hinting that he needed a loan. Now a retired professor in Illinois, Frank Gladney declined the request.

Drugs could be to blame for Andrew Gladney's woes. The judge's ruling denying bail said Andrew Gladney was a "known drug abuser of crack cocaine." In 2002 he was charged with distributing a controlled substance.

Federal prosecutors allege that between March and November of last year, Gladney sent threatening communication to a victim outside of Missouri, demanding money and threatening to smear the victim's reputation. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch identified the victim as Gladney's brother-in-law in Virginia and said Gladney demanded $100,000 from him.

U.S. Judge E. Richard Webber denied Gladney's request for bail in part because Gladney continues to write letters to the man's family.

"While the letters generally begin in a conciliatory nature, their tone quickly changes. These letters ask for money, the letters are harassing, and are accusatory," Webber's ruling said.

When asked what might have driven Gladney to this point, Frank Gladney said he didn't know. He did point out that both of Andrew Gladney's parents were dead by the time he was in his early 30s. All Andrew Gladney had left was their money.

"I suppose if both parents had lived long enough, they could have been a restraining force on him," Frank Gladney said.