White Collar Crime

Disbarred attorney charged with using another lawyer’s name in traffic-court case

A disbarred North Carolina attorney was charged with criminal contempt and is being held in lieu of $300,000 bond after allegedly using the name of another state lawyer while representing a client in a traffic court hearing. Court officials in Columbus County Superior Court didn’t recognize Nicholas Andrew Stratas, 57,…

Jul 29, 2015 1:35 PM CDT

Merchants say lawyer should lose $32M fee award over alleged email contact with opposing counsel

So far, the fallout from an alleged $5 million scheme by an attorney and her husband to defraud two law firms and a client includes a lost BigLaw partnership and wire fraud conspiracy charges against both spouses. Now it appears that email between Keila Ravelo and another lawyer who is…

Jul 28, 2015 4:02 PM CDT

Judge blames ‘mindless digital interaction’ for juror texts during murder trial, OKs guilty verdict

Despite her denials, a juror in a high-profile New York murder trial clearly did discuss the case during deliberations, via her cellphone, a state court judge has ruled. Johnna Lorraine’s father even sent her a text, on the day she was selected for the jury, stating: “Make sure he’s guilty,”…

Jul 28, 2015 3:55 PM CDT

‘Disgrace to the entire legal profession’ gets time in 2 federal fraud cases

A California attorney was sentenced to a total of nearly three years in prison last week in unrelated fraud cases. On July 20, Gino Paul Pietro got two years in a sentencing hearing at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana, for helping a client in a loan scheme, Courthouse News…

Jul 27, 2015 10:15 AM CDT

Convicted of theft of $2K in services, ex-judge faces potential loss of $6K monthly pension

A Philadelphia jury deliberated only about 90 minutes before convicting a retired former Common Pleas Court judge of using his office and chambers to operate a personal real estate business. Found guilty of theft of services and conflict of interest, Willis Berry Jr., 72, shrugged his shoulders and said: “The…

Jul 22, 2015 5:00 PM CDT

Leading NY lawmaker lied to FBI about son’s law firm job; felony conviction puts his own job at risk

A leading New York lawmaker was convicted Wednesday by a federal jury in White Plains of lying to FBI investigators about using his influence to help his attorney son get a law firm job. The felony conviction is expected to force Sen. Thomas Libous, who is the second-ranking Republican in…

Jul 22, 2015 4:30 PM CDT

7th Circuit nixes 5 counts in conviction of ex-Illinois Gov. Blagojevich, calls for new sentence

Faced with an 18-count conviction and what it described as overwhelming evidence of a former Illinois governor’s guilt in a political corruption case, a federal appeals court Tuesday nonetheless nixed five counts and called for a resentencing. The impeached former governor, Rod Blagojevich, “now asks us to hold that the…

Jul 21, 2015 4:20 PM CDT

Fired secretary is star witness at trial of ex-judge accused of operating business from chambers

A trial has begun that could cost a former Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge his $6,000-a-month pension if the prosecution prevails. The government says Willis Berry Jr. effectively stole from taxpayers by having his longtime secretary handle property management functions for his sideline real-estate business, while working in his judicial…

Jul 21, 2015 3:00 PM CDT

Partner who overheard lawyer discuss client merger is indicted for alleged insider trading

A real estate partner in the Philadelphia headquarters of a national law firm overheard a colleague talking with their shared legal assistant about an imminent client merger. Then he illegally used the insider information in purchasing stock in the client’s company for himself and his wife, federal regulators say. Herbert…

Jul 17, 2015 10:40 AM CDT

Ex-judge gets 2 years in bribery case, lawyer gets 1 year

A former Texas judge and a lawyer who appeared before him were sentenced Wednesday to prison time for their respective roles in a judicial bribery scheme involving Bexar County cases. Former 144th District judge Angus Kelly McGinty got a two-year federal prison term and attorney Alberto “Al” Acevedo got a…

Jul 15, 2015 4:30 PM CDT

Lawmaker’s son hired despite ‘acting like a clown’ at firm party, witness testifies at trial

The attorney son of a powerful New York state lawmaker didn’t positively impress Santangelo Randazzo & Mangone lawyers by hitting on a partner’s wife at a 2005 law firm Christmas party. But Matthew Libous got the job he wanted there anyway, with the help of his dad, federal prosecutors say.…

Jul 15, 2015 3:15 PM CDT

Dewey & LeBoeuf executives cooked the books, former law firm finance director testifies

About a third of the way into the prosecution case against three former law firm leaders criminally charged in the downfall of Dewey & LeBoeuf, testimony began Monday to establish what the government hopes will prove to be a crucial link: Former finance director Francis Canellas is pointing the finger…

Jul 13, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

Ex-judge likely to serve only 30 days for stealing drug evidence from courthouse

A retired Pennsylvania judge was sentenced Monday to as much as 23½ months behind bars for stealing cocaine from evidence from the courthouse in which he formerly worked. But Paul Pozonsky probably will serve only 30 days, followed by two years of probation, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The former Washington…

Jul 13, 2015 12:10 PM CDT

Lawyer who had firm pay his personal expenses in lieu of a paycheck pleads guilty to tax evasion

A Kansas lawyer accused of putting his law firm in another attorney’s name and having it pay his personal expenses instead of issuing him a paycheck pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of tax evasion. Accused of avoiding IRS efforts to collect income tax and evade a trust fund recovery…

Jul 9, 2015 4:30 PM CDT

11th Circuit OKs wire-fraud conviction of lawyer who impersonated state bar official

A former lawyer who, while still in practice, impersonated a Florida Bar official during a 2009 conference call with her boss and mentor, then-attorney Scott Rothstein, says she had no idea he was operating a $1.4 billion Ponzi scheme. But Christina Kitterman’s argument that she lacked the intent to commit…

Jul 6, 2015 4:05 PM CDT