Washington

Feds: Nonlawyer Opened Law Firm Using IDs of 2 Lawyers with Same Name

Michael Anthony Nelson, 38, is not a lawyer. But, taking advantage of a relatively common name, he allegedly assumed the identity of two other Michael Nelsons who are, in fact, attorneys, opening a bogus law firm and obtaining credit by making use of their names. Federal prosecutors say he opened…

Apr 2, 2010 5:49 PM CDT

Federal Jury Convicts Ex-Attorney Accused in $7M Mortgage Fraud Case

Updated: After deliberating less than a day, a federal jury rendered a guilty verdict on all but one of the charges against a disbarred Washington state attorney accused of participating in a $7 million mortgage fraud. It was allegedly perpetrated with the help of a company he operated and a…

Apr 1, 2010 8:16 PM CDT

In 16 Months, Worker Allegedly Stole $825K From Law Firm

Heather “Veronica” Pak only worked at the Shim Law Firm in Seattle for a little over a year. But during that time she allegedly stole some $825,000, writing firm checks in the tens of thousands of dollars to herself and relatives and charging personal expenses on a firm credit card,…

Mar 30, 2010 5:57 PM CDT

Fallout From War On Terror Threatens Rule of Law, Federal Judge Says

When U.S. District Judge John Coughenour handed down a 22-year prison sentence to “millennium bomber” Ahmed Ressam, more than a dozen death threats resulted, and he and his family had to get special protection from U.S. Marshals. None of the threats apparently were from Ressam or individuals in his circle,…

Mar 29, 2010 7:19 PM CDT

Top State Court Fines County $371K for Delayed Response to 1997 Public Records Request

Nearly 13 years ago, Armen Yousoufian made a public records request to King County, Wash., which received a partial response. Three years later, he filed suit to obtain the rest of the material he requested. As of today, it appears that he has a final answer concerning the penalty to…

Mar 25, 2010 5:54 PM CDT

Lawyers to Volunteer as Judges to Chip Away at County’s 500-Case Backlog

The superior court docket in Yakima County, Wash., is under a crushing backlog, with more than 500 civil cases awaiting trial while judges make criminal cases a priority. So judicial administration authorities there have come up with a way to chip away at the mountain of cases by bringing in…

Feb 9, 2010 6:20 PM CST

Is Artist’s Suit Over Photo of His Bronze-Feet Sculpture Standing on Solid Legal Ground?

A photographer in Washington state seemingly has an interesting fair-use argument to make concerning his photograph which, as he describes it, depicted “a woman dancing” on a public artwork in Seattle that features bronze footprints inlaid in concrete. His photograph, Mike Hipple says in a Mike Hipple Legal Defense Fund…

Feb 5, 2010 7:54 PM CST

Ruse Leads to Arrest of Fugitive Lawyer Accused of Duping Investors

A former Spokane, Wash., lawyer on the lam for more than a decade has been arrested after falling for a ruse by the U.S. Marshals Service. Former lawyer and developer Claude Irwin will face theft charges in Spokane in connection with unpaid judgments stemming from a failed Idaho development, according…

Feb 1, 2010 2:43 PM CST

L.A. Lawyer Pleads in Quellos Case, Admits He Didn’t Pay Tax on $35M Offshore Account

A Los Angeles lawyer has pleaded guilty and agreed to accept up to a five-year prison term in a tax shelter scheme that involved a $35 million offshore account. Matthew Krane, 55, pleaded guilty in federal court in Seattle yesterday to tax evasion and passport fraud concerning an alleged Quellos…

Dec 12, 2009 12:10 AM CST

‘Caffeine Psychosis’ May Have Caused Man’s Erratic Driving, Defense Lawyer Says

A hardworking financial analyst for the University of Idaho routinely chugged coffee and energy drinks and may have been under the influence of “caffeine psychosis” during an erratic-driving incident that put two college students in the hospital in nearby Washington state, his lawyer says. Attorney Mark Moorer, who represents Dan…

Dec 11, 2009 12:17 AM CST

IRS Audits Single Mom Making $20K, Says She Can’t Claim Kids as Dependents

A single mom who makes about $20,000 a year working at a hair salon, Rachel Porcaro doesn’t own a car and lives with her parents in order to make ends meet. But apparently not believing that she could pay her bills on her actual, reported income, the Internal Revenue Service…

Dec 8, 2009 9:53 PM CST

Fed Up Court Admin Warns Sparring Lawyers She’ll Hit Her ‘Panic Button’

A court administrator in western Washington is so fed up with the tenor of the verbal sparring between lawyers that she’s threatening to call police next time it happens in her presence. Lewis County Superior Court Administrator Susie Parker sent an e-mail to local attorneys telling them she would contact…

Dec 1, 2009 7:29 PM CST

Meet William Marler, a Food Safety Lawyer Hungry for Change

Young and “extremely overconfident,” William Marler took a leading role in his first food-borne illness case when he was only five years out of law school. But news coverage about his severely injured 9-year-old client helped persuade another 200 alleged victims of a fast food restaurant in Washington state to…

Nov 24, 2009 7:08 PM CST

Judge Convicted in Prostitution Case May Not Lose His Job

Convicted yesterday in a prostitution and harrassment case, a Washington state judge apparently will continue to collect his $148,000-a-year salary for the foreseeable future. Although the state attorney general’s office contends that Washington law provides for Pierce County Superior Court Judge Michael Hecht automatically to vacate his elected office upon…

Oct 29, 2009 8:00 PM CDT

Jury Convicts Judge in Prostitution Case

Developing: A Washington state judge testified that he didn’t do it, and his lawyer questioned the credibility of the alleged male prostitutes testifying against him. But a jury has found Pierce County Superior Court Judge Michael Hecht guilty in a criminal case accusing him of paying men for sex and…

Oct 28, 2009 5:48 PM CDT