by judd » Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:17 am
9 LEGAL EAGLES DESTINED FOR PRISON CELL
Attempted Capital Murder
In February 2011, Bellaire, Texas, lawyer Jeffrey Mark Stern, 53, became the sixth person to be indicted in an alleged plot to kill his wife, Yvonne Stern, who has so far survived at least three attempts on her life, the last leaving her critically wounded in May 2005. Yvonne Stern had filed for divorce from her husband after the third attempt on her life.
Cold-Blooded Murder
Chicago attorney Fredrick Goings (pictured), 36, was charged in 2009 with the January 24 murders of Nova Henry, 24, former girlfriend of New York Knicks player Eddy Curry, and her ten-month-old daughter, Ava. The coroners determined that both victims died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Strangulation and Attempted Murder
John Michael Farren (left), 57, of New Canaan, Conn., was arrested shortly after 10 p.m. on January 6, 2010, when police received a panic alarm from his home. Farren had allegedly attacked his wife, Mary Farren (right), 43, and a partner at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom with a flashlight.
Identity Theft
In December 2010, attorney Robert Wilkey, 35, of Coatesville, Pa., admitted in court to stealing the identity of an Upper Saucon Township client and using the information to apply for credit cards. Wilkey said he took his client's identity to pay for his gambling habit. Police were able to trace online credit card applications in Orellana's name to Wilkey's work and home computers.
A Shoe-in
Alaskan labor attorney Erin Pohland, 31, was charged in February 2011 with shoplifting shoes from a Fred Meyer store in (shown) on December 30, 2010. According to the complaint, surveillance footage from Fred Meyer showed Pohland and 30-year-old Skye McRoberts loading $1,020.08 worth of shoes into two shopping carts, which they took to the store's hardware section. Pohland then used wire cutters to remove the electronic theft-prevention tags, put back the empty shoe boxes and moved the loot to shopping bags in a single cart which McRoberts pushed out of the store.
Embezzling from Ballet Dancers
Labor lawyer Leonard Leibowitz, 72, was indicted in New York on charges of embezzling money from a union that he founded and ran from 1972 until 2007 for the American Ballet Theatre (ABT dancer pictured). Leibowitz is accused of embezzling over $150,000 over the course of eight years. When confronted by the now-defunct union's leadership about the money, Leibowitz said he needed it to keep his kids in private school.
Dealing Dope
Philadelphia attorney Richard K. Creamer, 38, who practiced real estate and corporate law in Northern Liberties, Pa., purchased a warehouse with James Alberts, a South Philadelphia contractor. They had gone in together on such deals in the past, buying distressed properties and selling them at a profit. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph T. Labrum III, Creamer discovered that Alberts was making thousands of dollars each month by using the building to grow and sell marijuana. Creamer joined Alberts' venture and, according to prosecutors, the two invested $100,000 to renovate the structure to create a high-tech marijuana farm , which from March to June 2009 produced 20 pounds of high-grade cannabis per month.
Extreme Corruption
Senior attorney with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Peter Kallas (pictured), 39, of Alta Loma, Calif. was convicted in April 2010 on federal charges of corruption for taking thousands of dollars in bribes from immigrants seeking documents to remain in the U.S. A jury found Kallas guilty of conspiracy, bribery, obstruction of justice, fraud, misuse of entry documents, aggravated identity theft, making false statements to the Department of Labor, making false statements to obtain federal employee compensation, and, of course, tax evasion.
Racketeering
Top New Jersey criminal defense attorney Paul Bergrin (pictured) was convicted in Manhattan in October 2009 of running a prostitution ring. He apparently didn't start the prostitution ring known as "Rocket Fule for Winners," so much as he took over the business and the pimping when founding pimp Jason Itzler, Bergrin's former client whom he unsuccessfully defended against pimping charges.
Jury Tampering
In August 2009, New York criminal defense attorney Robert Simels (pictured), 62, was convicted of multiple counts of witness-tampering, bribery, and illegal possession of eavesdropping equipment. The charges stemmed from a plot to "eliminate" and "neutralize" federal witnesses slated to testify against one of his clients. Simels was convicted of tampering with eight witnesses set to testify against Shaheed (Roger) Khan, a major cocaine trafficker from Guyana. Simels was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
