Disbarred lawyer admits collecting $247K in disability benefits while still in practice
A former New York bankruptcy lawyer who was disbarred and has served time for taking money from clients without doing promised work is in trouble again.
Christopher Chadick, 63, pleaded guilty Monday in a Syracuse federal disability fraud case, Syracuse.com reports. He admitted that he obtained $247,000 in Social Security disability payments over a seven-year period while continuing to work as an attorney.
Chadick said in court today he does, in fact, suffer from Cushing’s disease and major depression, but concealed from the Social Security Administration that he continued to work as a lawyer while collecting benefits between 2003 and 2010.
He was originally convicted in 2011 in a state court case in which he was accused of defrauding 114 clients of $94,500 by accepting fees but not performing promised work. However, Chadick had that jury verdict reversed on appeal last year over a mistaken evidentiary ruling by the trial court in the Onondaga County case.
He was convicted again on some of the counts in a June bench trial based on stipulated evidence from the earlier jury trial. The judge found Chadick guilty of two counts of larceny but acquitted him on a third larceny charge and a fraud count, Syracuse.com reported at the time.
He was sentenced to time served—the four years he had already spent behind bars after being sentenced to a 4- to 12-year term for his 2011 conviction.
Chadick’s sentencing is scheduled in March in the federal case. A prosecutor said federal guidelines call for a 21- to 27-month sentence.
The Syracuse.com article doesn’t include any comment from Chadick’s defense counsel.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Disbarred lawyer wins appeal, has client-fraud conviction reversed after serving his prison time”
