California Criminal Defense Lawyer Convicted of Laundering Money for Client
San Jose, Calif. criminal defense lawyer Jamie Harley wiped away tears as a jury convicted her Tuesday of laundering money for a client who trafficked in stolen computer equipment.
The 53-year-old Harley, formerly known as Jamie Harmon, was convicted of five counts of money laundering, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Jurors deadlocked on a conspiracy charge.
Harley had claimed she didn’t know money from client Christian Pantages came from stolen goods. Prosecutors had argued Harmon deposited more than $127,000 in a client trust account she used as a “washing machine” before returning all but $25,000 to Pantages, who testified for the government.
Jury foreman Mark Porter told the newspaper that jurors didn’t believe that Harley, a former prosecutor and experienced lawyer, was as naive as she claimed. Federal sentencing guidelines call for a sentence of two or three years for the convictions, but the sentence could be increased if a judge finds Harley abused a position of trust, the story says.
