The Supreme Court of Illinois on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, announced the filing of disciplinary orders involving a number of licensed lawyers. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.

The attached list contains the name of each disciplined lawyer, the address at which the lawyer last practiced, and a brief summary of the misconduct that led to the sanction. The announcement of the orders may be reviewed at the Supreme Court of Illinois website: www.state.il.us/court. Unless otherwise noted, the mandate of discipline issued immediately.

The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC), an Illinois Supreme Court agency, investigates alleged wrongdoing by Illinois attorneys, holds hearings on specific charges, and recommends discipline where warranted. The Supreme Court is, however, the only authority that can discipline lawyers for misconduct. The Supreme Court generally announces lawyer sanction orders during each formal term of Court. The Court convenes in term every January, March, May, September and November.

There are over 82,000 attorneys in Illinois. Yearly fees are imposed on most Illinois lawyers to fund the ARDC. There are no tax dollars used to support the disciplinary system.

The ARDC is composed of seven members, three of whom are non-lawyers.  Attorney Benedict Schwarz II is the Commission Chairman.  The ARDC Administrator is Jerome Larkin.

For additional information concerning these disciplinary orders contact: 

Peter L. Rotskoff, Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, Springfield.

217.522.6838 or 800.252.8048

The ARDC Website is: www.iardc.org

 

In re JOSEPH FRANCIS BREEN, Attorney Number 6273771
Palm Passage, Suite C20-22
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802-1150

File information: M.R. M.R. 21736, 06 CH 67

Mr. Breen, who was licensed in 2001, was suspended for six months and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after ninety days by a two-year period of probation subject to conditions. He neglected a post-trial motion and a criminal appeal for one client and a criminal appeal for another client. He was also convicted of driving under the influence, driving on a suspended driver’s license, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and improper traffic lane usage.  He did not report his convictions to the ARDC. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

 In re MICHAEL EDWARD BUB, Attorney Number 6203145
One City Centre, Suite 15TFL
St Louis, Missouri 63101-1883

File information: M.R. 21636, 06 SH 0007

Mr. Bub, who was licensed in 1990, was censured. He charged his client, an insurance company, an excessive fee for doing preparatory work for an appeal that ultimately settled before any briefs were filed.

In re CYNTHIA YONEVA COOPER, Attorney Number 6255780
1760 West Station Street, Suite 3
Kankakee, Illinois 60901-3176

File information: M.R. 21767, 06 SH 82

Ms. Cooper, who was licensed in 1998, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after thirty days by a two-year period of probation subject to conditions. She converted a filing fee, for which she has made restitution, neglected the civil cases of three clients, made misrepresentations to a client, and failed to return an unearned fee. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re STEVEN J. DELLA ROSE, Attorney Number 6192497
751 West 35^th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60616-3437

File information: M.R. 21635, 04 CH 2

Mr. Della Rose, who was licensed in 1986, was disbarred. He caused a client’s signature to be forged on an $80,000 lump sum settlement agreement in a workers’ compensation matter. He then paid a man $50 to obtain a false identification card from an Illinois Secretary of State employee and had the man cash a $64,000 check made payable to the injured client. Mr. Della Rose then collected and subsequently misappropriated the funds. For this conduct, Mr. Della Rose was found guilty of mail fraud in federal court and was sentenced to a forty-one month prison term. He failed to surrender to prison authorities, however, and remains a fugitive from justice. He was suspended on an interim basis on May 4, 2004.

In re WARREN J. DOMINICK, Attorney Number 6191799
9601 West 165^TH Street
Orland Park, Illinois  60467

File Information: M.R. 21737, 06 CH 25

Mr. Dominick, who was licensed in 1985, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court. He neglected thirteen different client matters, converted $3,000 that he was supposed to be holding in escrow from a real estate transaction, and failed to cooperate with the disciplinary investigation.

In re CORNELIUS THOMAS DUCEY, JR.
Attorney Number 683779
7 Ridge Lane
Belleville, Illinois 62223-1228

File information: M.R. 21234, 01 SH 118

Mr. Ducey, who was licensed in 1971, was suspended for one year. He engaged in a conflict of interest after he first represented a structured settlement company against individuals entitled to structured settlement payments and then subsequently represented the payment recipients against the structured settlement company. He also neglected two medical malpractice matters and misled his clients about the status of their matters.  He was suspended on an interim basis on August 26, 2005, after a second disciplinary matter against him resulted in a recommendation that he be suspended for eighteen months. The second disciplinary matter is pending before the ARDC Review Board. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re STEVEN EDWARD DYER, Attorney Number 6230611
4386 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, Missouri  63108-2702

File Information:  M.R. 21811, 07 RC 1510

Mr. Dyer was licensed in Missouri in 1994 and in Illinois in 1996. He was suspended for six months in Missouri after he falsified time stamps on documents that he filed with the bankruptcy court and electronically filed bankruptcy petitions using another attorney’s password and log-in information. Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for six months and until he is reinstated in Missouri. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re JEFFREY BRUCE FAWELL, Attorney Number 778753
500 South County Farm Road, Suite 200
Wheaton, Illinois 60187-2415

File Information: M.R. 21692, 06 CH 46

Mr. Fawell, who was licensed in 1977, was suspended for thirty days. He neglected a client's criminal appeal by failing to file a brief on his client's behalf after he had been granted several extensions of time within which to do so, causing the appeal to be dismissed, and he did not inform his client that her appeal had been dismissed for almost two years. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re CARYL JACOBS GABE, Attorney Number 1311840
33 West Higgins Road, Suite 620
Barrington, Illinois 60010-9387

File Information: M.R. 21734, 04 CH 8

Ms. Gabe, who was licensed in 1976, was suspended for six months. She failed to fully comply with applicable Illinois Supreme Court rules after she had previously been suspended for misconduct. She also engaged in a plan to conceal the first suspension from clients and made misrepresentations to the Court regarding her compliance with the sanction order. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

 

In re MARVIN IRA GERSTEIN, Attorney Number 942162
803 South Grove Street
Urbana, Illinois 61801-4307

File information: M.R. 21662, 06 SH 70 

Mr. Gerstein, who was licensed in 1964, was suspended for sixty days. He sent letters containing profane or demeaning remarks to employees of the City of Urbana while he was involved in a dispute with the City over the height of vegetation in the front of his home. On two previous occasions, he was disciplined for sending offensive or intemperate letters to people who were involved in cases he was handling for clients. The suspension is effective on November 5, 2007.

 In re LAURENCE BRIAN GLANTZ, Attorney Number 6220324
20 North Clark Street, Suite 501
Chicago, Illinois  60602-4366
 

File Number: M.R. 21788, 06 CH 43

Mr. Glantz, who was licensed in 1994, was suspended for one year and until he makes certain restitution and attends the Professional Responsibility Seminar of the Illinois Professional Responsibility Institute. He neglected three different civil matters for a client, failed to return an unearned fee, and did not initially cooperate with the disciplinary investigation. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re PAUL HENRY HILLIS, Jr., Attorney Number 1218166
600 South Poplar
Centralia, Illinois  62801-9177

File Information: M.R. 21781, 07 SH 14

Mr. Hillis, who was licensed in 1975, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court. He pled guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and was placed under court supervision, the conditions of which required him to abstain from alcohol consumption. Shortly after the entry of the guilty plea, he consumed alcohol, was involved in a vehicular accident involving property damage, and was charged again with driving under the influence of alcohol.

In re MICHAEL JOHN HIRSCHTICK, Attorney Number 1225405
6321 North Avondale Avenue, Suite 210
Chicago, Illinois 60631-1960

File Information: M.R. 21668, 05 CH 32

Mr. Hirschtick, who was admitted in 1967, was disbarred and ordered to make certain restitution. He financially exploited an elderly client suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He also misappropriated funds from an account opened for the benefit of several property owners for the purpose of engaging in like-kind transfers of commercial property. He failed to appear at his own disciplinary hearing. He was suspended on an interim basis on March 2, 2007.

In re STANLEY F. KAPLAN, Attorney Number 1400975
500 Skokie Boulevard, Suite 350
Northbrook, Illinois 60062-2877

File Information: M.R. 21705, 05 CH 15

Mr. Kaplan, who was licensed in 1962, was suspended for sixty days. He mishandled a portion of funds that he was supposed to hold on behalf of a client and a third party and commingled client and third party funds with his own. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re ANDREW J. KLECZEK, Attorney Number 1478532
321 N.E. Madison
Peoria, Illinois  61603-3635

File Information: M.R. 21745, 05 SH 24

Mr. Kleczek, who was licensed in 1968, was suspended for sixty days. He obtained an unreasonable fee in a workers’ compensation case. He made restitution to the client before the initiation of formal disciplinary proceedings. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re MICHAEL JAMES KRAWITZ, Attorney Number 6201462
2 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1776
Chicago, Illinois 60602-4031

File Information: M.R. 21684, 07 DC 1005

Mr. Krawitz, who was licensed in 1989, was disbarred on consent. While representing a real estate developer in connection with the sale of condominium units, he misappropriated over $170,000 in earnest money deposits received from prospective purchasers.

In re ROBERT DUANE LARSON, Attorney Number 1583905
307 Henry Street, Suite 310
Alton, Illinois 62002-6326

File information: M.R. 21782, 07 SH 10

Mr. Larson, who was licensed in 1969, was suspended for sixty days and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed by a two-year period of probation subject to conditions.  On two occasions, he operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

In re ROBERT FRED LISCO, Attorney Number 1674102
20 North Clark Street, Suite 2450
Chicago, Illinois 60602-5110

File Information: M.R. 21687, 03 CH 48

Mr. Lisco, who was licensed in 1951, was suspended for one year and until he makes certain restitution with interest. He engaged in misconduct in connection with his representation of a married couple in their separate personal injury suits. The couple divorced during the time that the personal injury cases were pending, and Mr. Lisco agreed to divide any injury settlement proceeds pursuant to the terms of the couple’s divorce decree. Instead of dividing the proceeds pursuant to the decree, he converted some of the wife’s funds and agreed with the husband to hide other funds from the wife.  The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re MICHAEL PATRICK MacHARG, Attorney Number 6274043
300 South Orange Avenue, Suite 1300
Orlando, Florida 32801-3379

File Information: M.R. 21702, 06 CH 9

Mr. MacHarg, who was licensed in 2001, was censured.  He was convicted of domestic violence for kicking his then-girlfriend’s son.

In re PAUL MICHAEL MISCH, Attorney Number 3122441
3867 Medina Road, Suite 264
Akron, Ohio  44333-4506

File Information: M.R. 21769, 07 DC 1006

Mr. Misch, who was licensed in 1978, was disbarred on consent. He pled guilty to one count of making and submitting false federal income tax returns. He was sentenced to a fourteen-month prison term. He was previously censured for practicing law in Ohio, a jurisdiction where he was not licensed.

In re MICHAEL J. PAGANUCCI, Attorney Number 3123545
555 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 700
Chicago, Illinois 60661-5700

File Information: M.R.21727, 06 CH 48

Mr. Paganucci, who was licensed in 1979, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court. He was convicted of aggravated driving under the influence, driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of an accident. He failed to report the convictions to the ARDC.

In re THOMAS J. PASTRNAK, Attorney Number 6187785
313 West Third Street
Davenport, Iowa  52801-1219

File Information:  M.R. 21771, 07 RC 1506

Mr. Pastrnak was licensed in Illinois and Iowa in 1984. He was reprimanded in Iowa for engaging in a conflict of interest and attempting to settle a claim against him by an unrepresented client without advising the client in writing that independent representation was appropriate. The Illinois Supreme Court imposed reciprocal discipline and reprimanded him.

In re ROBERT HAROLD PAUL, Attorney Number 6201766
314 Jackson, Box 415
Mishicot, Wisconsin  54228

File Information:  M.R. 21695, 07 RC 1505

Mr. Paul was licensed in Illinois in 1989 and in Wisconsin in 1998. He was suspended for sixty days in Wisconsin for neglect and dishonesty in connection with a client’s personal injury and workers’ compensation matters. The Illinois Supreme Court imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for sixty days. The suspension is effective on October 9,  2007.

In re CHARLES EMIL PETIT, Attorney Number 6230038
1012 North Busey
Urbana, Illinois 61801-1608

File Information: M. R. 21735, 06 SH 30

Mr. Petit, who was licensed in 1995, was suspended for six months and until further order of the Court. He misrepresented the status of a matter to a client for two years, and charged her fees for work he did not perform.  His misconduct was related to an untreated mental health issue.

In re JOSEPH JOHN PORZENSKI, Attorney Number 6227045
320 North Fifth Street, Lower Level
St. Charles, Missouri  63301-1854

File Information: M.R. 21810, 07 RC 1509

Mr. Porzenski was licensed in Missouri in 1994 and in Illinois the following year. He was reprimanded in Missouri for accepting a settlement offer in a married couple’s legal matter without the consent of both clients, and remitting the settlement proceeds only to the wife. The Illinois Supreme Court imposed reciprocal discipline and reprimanded him.

In re AUBREY TALMAGE RICHEY, Attorney Number 2330695
306A Deerpath East Road
Fontana, Wisconsin 53125-1820

File Information: M.R. 21797, 07 CH 26

Mr. Richey, who was licensed in 1968, was suspended for eighteen months and until further order of the Court. He made misrepresentations on his application to be admitted to the Wisconsin bar, including false representations about his status and practice in Illinois.

In re ELLEN RUTH RUBIN, Attorney Number 6225970
32 North Stone Avenue, Suite 400
Tucson, Arizona  85701-1416

File Information:  M.R. 21831; 07 RC 1511

Ms. Rubin was licensed in Illinois in 1994 and in Arizona in 2004. She was informally reprimanded in Arizona and placed on probation for one year with a condition that she attend the State Bar’s Ethics Enhancement Program. She failed to provide relevant information to a judge about her client’s criminal status. The Illinois Supreme Court imposed reciprocal discipline, reprimanded her, and placed her on probation subject to the condition imposed in Arizona.

In re GERARD A. SERRITELLA, Jr., Attorney Number 2552892
411 Hamilton Boulevard, Suite 1600
Peoria, Illinois 61602-1198

File information: M.R. 21655, 03 SH 115

Mr. Serritella, who was licensed in 1969, was suspended for thirty days and until he makes certain restitution. He failed to return unearned fees to two clients in criminal cases.

In re Charles Middleton shepherd
Attorney Number 6238083
5215 Old Orchard Road, Suite 740
Skokie, Illinois 60077-1022

File information: M.R. 21812, 06 CH 41

Mr. Shepherd, who was licensed in 1996, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after ninety days by a two-year period of probation subject to conditions. He neglected nine different client matters during a period when he was alcohol dependent and suffering from a major depressive disorder. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re CHARLES KENNETH SNOWDEN, Attorney Number 2663198
8541 South Cottage Grove
Chicago, Illinois 60619-6115

File information: M.R. 21673, 04 CH 108

Mr. Snowden, who was licensed in 1977, was suspended for one year. He neglected two client matters, provided false evidence to a court, and failed to cooperate with the disciplinary investigation. He was previously disciplined for unrelated misconduct. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re FEDERICO NOEL TRIGO, Attorney Number 2856700
2646 North 74th Avenue, 2nd Floor
Elmwood Park, Illinois  60707-1916

File information: M.R. 21661, 04 CH 5

Mr. Trigo, who was licensed in 1976, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court. He provided neglectful and incompetent representation in three immigration matters, misappropriated money his clients had given him to pay expenses, failed to communicate with clients, and did not refund unearned fees after he was discharged. He was previously disciplined on two occasions for unrelated misconduct.

In re DAVID ANDREW VINCENT, Attorney Number 6227198
129 Elm Street
South Portland, Maine  04106-4309

File Information:  M.R. 21784; 07 RC 1508

Mr. Vincent was licensed in Illinois in 1995 and in Maine in 2002. He was reprimanded in Maine for incompetence and neglect in connection with a criminal appeal. The Illinois Supreme Court imposed reciprocal discipline and reprimanded him.

In re ALLEN WEISSMAN, Attorney Number 2974355
2805 West Touhy Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60645-2901

File information: M.R. 21649, 06 CH 62

Mr. Weissman, who was licensed in 1978, was suspended for thirty days. He neglected to file a foreclosure proceeding, was not forthright with his client about the status of the matter, and failed to promptly refund unearned fees. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

 In re MICHAEL S. WELZIEN, Attorney Number 2982560
150 West St. Charles Road, Suite 424
Lombard, Illinois  60148-2279

File information: M.R. 21730, 05 CH 89

Mr. Welzien, who was licensed in 1973, was suspended for four months. While representing the administrator of an estate, he filed a claim against the estate on his own behalf and assisted another claimant in filing a claim. He did not seek or receive his client’s consent to pursue those claims, both of which were time-barred at the time he filed them. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007.

In re RALPH ELVIN WILLIAMS, Attorney Number 6203347
Post Office Box 3081
Springfield, Illinois 62708-3081

File Information: M.R. 21833, 06 SH 32

Mr. Williams, who was licensed in 1990, was disbarred on consent. He took money for an appeal from a client whom he had previously represented as a public defender client without explaining his duties to the client to represent the client diligently at no charge. He also neglected two civil cases and made misrepresentations to his clients about the status of those cases.

In re BRADFORD THOMAS YAKER, Attorney Number 6199710
30150 Telegraph, Suite 444
Bingham Farms, Michigan  48025-4549

File Information:  M.R. 21783; 07 RC 1507

Mr. Yaker was licensed in Illinois in 1988 and in Michigan in 1995. He was suspended for eighteen months and until further order of the Court in Michigan for failing to keep two clients aware of the status of their matters, making misrepresentations to them, and misappropriating money from his law firm. The Illinois Supreme Court imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for eighteen months and until he is reinstated in Michigan. The suspension is effective on October 9, 2007. 

 The Following Orders Were Entered By The Court in Disciplinary Cases Before The September 2007 Term But Were Not Included In Any Previous Information Release

 In re PATRICIA LYNN HAYES, Attorney Number 6192974
400 Chatham Road, Suite 101B
Springfield, Illinois  62704-1495

File information: M.R. 21046, 03 SH 113

(Order entered on. May 31, 2007)

Ms. Hayes, who was licensed in 1986, was suspended for thirty months and until further order of the Court in 2006, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by probation subject to certain conditions. She was disciplined after she caused a public disturbance at O’Hare Airport when she threatened and battered Chicago police officers who sought to prevent her from driving while intoxicated. Her probation was revoked, the stay of the suspension vacated, and she was suspended for thirty months and until further order of the Court for violating certain probationary conditions, most importantly that she not consume alcohol.

In re ROBERT WAYNE HALLOCK, Attorney Number 1107275
111 North Avenue, Suite 07
Barrington, Illinois  60010-3282

File information: M.R. 21596, 07 CH 27

 (Order entered on July 3, 2007)

Mr. Hallock, who was admitted in 1971, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court. He was convicted in federal court of willfully attempting to evade income tax by filing fraudulent tax returns that did not include his true income. Additionally, he sold fraudulent certificates of deposit and used a sham business for the purpose of hiding his true income. He was sentenced to twenty-four months in prison and was ordered to serve a two-year term of supervised release.

In re TOM O’CONNELL HOLSTEIN, Attorney Number 1251716
109 West Elm Street
Chicago, Illinois  60610-2805

 File information: M.R. 21683, 06 CH 39

(Order entered on August 17, 2007)

Mr. Holstein, who was licensed in 1972, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court. He was charged in a nine-count federal indictment with defrauding his debtor clients by undertaking representation and collecting fees when he knew that he was about to be suspended from the practice of law in Illinois for professional misconduct (he was suspended for eighteen months effective October 17, 2005), and with making false entries in bankruptcy petitions and statements of financial affairs in connection with three bankruptcy matters. In addition, he is the subject of new disciplinary charges alleging that he engaged in conduct involving dishonesty with respect to two different bankruptcy cases, that he maintained a client trust account in the name of an attorney not associated with his law firm, and that he forged the name of his deceased wife on a signature card for the account.

In re JOHN ANTHONY MAURER, Attorney Number 6243443
1216 South 5th Street
Springfield, Illinois  62703-2316

File Information: M.R. 21628, 07 SH 6

(Order entered on June 4, 2007).

Mr. Maurer, who was licensed in 1997, was disbarred on consent.  He was employed as a part-time public defender and also maintained a private criminal defense practice. On several occasions, he purchased cocaine from, and used cocaine with, a former client. He also used cocaine with a current client. When he learned that his current client was going to be required to submit to a drug test, he advised him of a product that could be purchased to assist him in deceiving the authorities as to the results of a urine test. Later, he obtained police reports containing confidential information regarding the subject of a criminal investigation and provided the reports to his client in exchange for $3,000.00. 

In re MARK ROBERT McGOVERN, Attorney Number 6276279
10 South Wacker Drive, Suite 4000
Chicago, Illinois 60606-7506

File Information: M.R. 21709, 07 CH 52

(Order entered on July 27, 2007)

Mr. McGovern, who was admitted in 2002, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court. In 2005, he was taking United Airlines flight 1502 from Orlando to Washington, D.C. At some point during the flight, he engaged in threatening and disruptive behavior towards the flight crew. He was arrested by federal air marshals, and the flight crew diverted the aircraft to North Carolina. He later pled guilty to assaulting and intimidating a flight attendant. He was sentenced to a seven-month prison term followed by a three-year period of supervised release. The court also ordered him to pay $7,339 in restitution to United Airlines, as well as a $100 assessment.  He was subsequently found guilty of violating the terms of his suspended release by using cocaine and failing to return to his halfway house after work. 

 The Following Lawyers were Transferred to Disability Inactive Status

Before The September 2007 Term

 

§         Joseph Michel Rielinger (Attorney Number 6201893) of Independence, Ohio;

§         Darcy J. Bogenrief (Attorney Number 6203835) of Mequon, Wisconsin; and

§         Ronald Ozon Heglar (Attorney Number 3129029) of Orland Hills, Illinois.