Legal Ethics
2nd Cir. Upholds 10 of 12 Convictions for NY Criminal Defense Lawyer in Attempted Obstruction Case
A New York criminal defense lawyer is facing a 14-year federal prison sentence, after a federal appeals court on Friday affirmed (PDF) 10 of his 12 convictions in an attempted obstruction of justice case concerning a former client.
Robert Simels also was convicted of conspiracy and bribery in 2009 after federal prosecutors in Brooklyn proved he had tried to discourage witnesses from testifying against his client, a Guyanese drug smuggler, reports the New York Law Journal in an article reprinted in New York Lawyer (reg. req.).
An associate of Simels also was originally found guilty, but her conviction was subsequently reversed.
