Lawyer accused of stealing over $500K from clients and trial bar group gets 42 months
A once-prominent Montana lawyer was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft charges.
Prosecutors in the Missoula case say David Michael McLean, 75, stole $465,614 from clients by secretly settling cases and keeping the money, according to the Billings Gazette and the Helena Independent Record. He was also accused of taking another $62,325 from the local chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
McLean served as secretary and treasurer for the chapter between 2009 to 2014, when the claimed embezzlement occurred. A court document says he has since repaid nearly $30,000 to the group, reports the Great Falls Tribune.
It isn’t clear from news coverage over what period of time the settlements took place.
McLean was sentenced to 18 months for wire fraud, followed by a consecutive 24-month sentence for aggravated identity theft, the articles report.
A prosecutor said he was disbarred by the state supreme court earlier this year.
None of the articles contain any comment from McLean or his legal counsel.
See also:
Associated Press: “Court Rejects Lawyer’s Request to Disbar Him”
