Summaries of Recent Supreme Court Decisions
This page contains ARDC summaries of recent disciplinary decisions issued by the Supreme Court of Illinois. The ARDC summaries contain the name of each disciplined lawyer, the community in which that lawyer last practiced, a brief summary of the misconduct and the disciplinary sanction ordered by the Court. Unless otherwise noted, the mandate of discipline issued immediately.
The opinions, announcements, and orders by the Supreme Court may be reviewed under the Recent Decisions tab or at the Supreme Court of Illinois website: www.illinoiscourts.gov. For additional information concerning the summaries of recent decisions contact Steven Splitt at (312) 565-2600 or, within Illinois, at (800) 826-8625.
Please note: Some lawyers named as respondents in disciplinary proceedings may have names similar to other lawyers on the master roll of attorneys. To verify that a particular lawyer is the respondent named in a proceeding, please call the Clerk's Office of the ARDC at (312) 565-2600 or within Illinois at (800) 826-8625.
In re Richard Michael Ruggiero, Matter Number: 2021PR00078
Oak Park, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6211359
Order entered: November 21, 2023
Mr. Ruggiero, who was licensed in 1992, was disbarred. He dishonestly misappropriated $291,944 in trust assets while acting as trustee for his deceased aunt's trust.
In re Jeffrey Bruce Steinback, Matter Number: 2022PR00088
Roscoe, Illinois
Attorney Number: 2718189
Order entered: November 21, 2023
Mr. Steinback, who was licensed in 1977, was suspended for 30 days. While representing a defendant in a federal criminal case in Iowa, he allowed his legal assistant to file a motion seeking to continue a sentencing hearing based on false statements that Mr. Steinback could not attend the hearing because he had been treated at an emergency room and had been advised not to travel for the next four to seven days. Mr. Steinback failed to correct the false statements of material fact made in the motion. The suspension is effective on December 12, 2023.
In re Jaime Teodoro Zeas, Matter Number: 2023PR00061
Bethesda, Maryland
Attorney Number: 6288733
Order entered: November 21, 2023
Mr. Zeas was licensed to practice in New York in 2003 and in Illinois in 2006. In July 2019, the Supreme Court of New York entered an order disbarring him based on his felony conviction for child pornography. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.
In re Kenese Lashea Dowdy, Matter Number: 2023PR00025
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6328469
Order entered: November 21, 2023
Ms. Dowdy, who was licensed in 2018, was suspended for six months and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after 30 days in favor of a one-year period of conditional probation. Following her removal from the roll of attorneys for failing to comply with Minimum Continuing Legal Education requirements, she did not inform her clients about her removal, terminate her representation, or refund unearned fees to her clients. The suspension is effective on December 12, 2023.
In re Daniel Lawrence Peters, Matter Number: 2023PR00023
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6205813
Order entered: November 21, 2023
Mr. Peters, who was licensed in 1991, was suspended for 90 days. He pled no contest to a charge of soliciting for prostitution. He thereafter made a false statement to the ARDC regarding the circumstances of his arrest. The suspension is effective on December 12, 2023.
In re Alan Kent Wittig, Matter Number: 2023PR00014
Queen Creek, Arizona
Attorney Number: 6210437
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Wittig was licensed in Illinois in 1992 and in Arizona in 1997. Arizona disciplinary authorities reprimanded Mr. Wittig and placed him on probation for one year. He did not diligently represent a client, or adequately communicate with her, in litigation regarding whether the client's minor son would be allowed to move out of state with his father. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and censured him and placed him on probation subject to the conditions imposed in Arizona and continuing until his Arizona probation is completed.
In re Philip Eugene Prewitt, Matter Number: 2023PR00017
Macon, Missouri
Attorney Number: 6230076
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Prewitt was licensed in Illinois in 1995 and in Missouri in 1992. The Missouri Supreme Court indefinitely suspended him, with no leave to apply for reinstatement for two years, for threatening to file an ethics complaint against his potential opponent in a judicial election and to reveal details of the infidelity of his potential opponent's spouse in an attempt to dissuade her from running against him in the election. He also threatened to reveal a former client's confidences as part of that latter threat. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for two years and until he is reinstated to the practice of law in Missouri. The suspension is effective on October 12, 2023.
In re James Thomas Rollins, Matter Number: 2021PR00054
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6291928
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Rollins, who was licensed in 2007, was suspended for five months. He attempted to defraud his fellow law firm members about the amount of capital he had contributed to their start-up law firm. The suspension is effective on October 12, 2023.
In re Alison H. Motta, Matter Number: 2021PR00091
Sugar Grove, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6284365
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Ms. Motta, who was licensed in 2004, was suspended for 90 days, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by a one-year period of probation with conditions. In an Illinois criminal trial, she repeatedly interrupted the judge and muttered an obscenity in response to the judge overruling an objection. She also took photos during the prosecutor's closing argument despite a ban on photos in the courtroom. In a Nebraska criminal matter, she publicly disseminated DNA results from evidence to news outlets in violation of a previous protective order issued by the court.
In re Anthony V. Boyle, Matter Number: 2022PR00013
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6308628
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Boyle, who was licensed in 2012, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by a four-year term of probation with conditions. He did not diligently represent clients in six matters, did not adequately communicate with those clients, failed to return $21,500 in unearned fees, and made a misrepresentation to one client about the status of his matter.
In re Steven Gary Silets, Matter Number: 2023PR00024
Northbrook, Illinois
Attorney Number: 2604825
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Silets, who was licensed in 1973, was disbarred on consent. He represented indigent defendants by court appointment and submitted hundreds of fee petitions to the court, many of which overstated the hours he worked on cases.
In re Charles Robert Scanlon, Matter Number: 2023PR00005
Chesterfield, Missouri
Attorney Number: 6200483
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Scanlon, who was licensed in 1989, was disbarred on consent. He misappropriated over $88,000 in settlement funds he was holding for a personal injury client and a lienholder in the client's case.
In re Thayer Lance Weaver Jr., Matter Number: 2023PR00028
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6244911
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Weaver was licensed in Illinois in 1998 and in Missouri in 1997. The Missouri Supreme Court suspended him for three years, with the suspension stayed by a three-year period of conditional probation, for mishandling his client trust account, including by commingling client funds with earned fees and failing to regularly reconcile the account. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for three years, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by a three-year period of probation, nunc pro tunc to March 7, 2023, subject to the conditions imposed in Missouri and continuing until he successfully completes his Missouri probation.
In re Thomas Alexander Kantas, Matter Number: 2023PR00030
Palos Heights, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6272492
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Kantas, who was licensed in 2000, was disbarred on consent. In the course of representing clients in personal injury matters, he misled five clients regarding the status of their matters; made false statements to his clients and the court about the progress of matters; and created false settlement negotiation communications, pleadings, and court orders to support his false statements.
In re Brittany Anne Roebke, Matter Number: 2023PR00031
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6306849
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Ms. Roebke, who was licensed in 2011, was disbarred on consent. She misappropriated $34,702 in funds she received in connection with 12 clients' business litigation matters and misrepresented her actions to her employer and others by making false statements and creating false documents and e-mails to conceal her actions.
In re Ian Louis Erdos, Matter Number: 2023PR00027
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6206863
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Erdos, who was licensed in 1991, was disbarred on consent. In the course of representing two clients in trust and estate matters, he dishonestly converted $849,476 in client funds, charged and collected unreasonable fees totaling $110,944, and made false statements regarding his use of trust assets.
In re James H. Schultz, Matter Number: 2023PR00008
Rock Island, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6208540
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Schultz, who was licensed in 1992, was suspended for three years and until further order of the Court, and was required to pay $6,000 restitution to a client. He engaged in a conflict of interest by drafting estate planning documents for an elderly woman, at the direction of the woman's nephew, which documents benefitted the nephew. He also collected an unreasonable fee of $6,000 from the woman. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Douglas Gordon Iler, Matter Number: 2023PR00036
Chino, California
Attorney Number: 6282355
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Iler was licensed in Illinois in 2004 and in California in 2005. The Supreme Court of California suspended him for three years, with the suspension stayed by a three-year period of probation, subject to conditions, including that he be suspended for a minimum of the first 15 months of the period of probation and until he provides proof of rehabilitation to the State Bar Court. He violated several terms of a previous California order of discipline, including not timely submitting quarterly reports, not providing proof of his participation in an ethics class, and not filing an affidavit regarding notification to clients of his prior discipline. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for 15 months and until further order of the Court. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re David William Belconis, Matter Number: 2019PR00058
Barrington, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6193077
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Belconis, who was licensed in 1986, was suspended for three years, retroactive to September 17, 2019. He was convicted in federal court of knowingly participating in a fraudulent real estate scheme by using false statements to close real estate transactions and by concealing relevant information from lenders to influence their lending decisions.
In re Lorenzo A. Hester, Matter Number: 2023PR00039
St. Louis, Missouri
Attorney Number: 6284877
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Hester was licensed in Illinois in 2005 and in Missouri in 2004. The Supreme Court of Missouri disbarred him for, over a course of years, misappropriating an unknown but significant amount of money and having clients sign misleading contingent fee agreements and inaccurate settlement statements. He also obstructed and engaged in deceptive practices during his Missouri disciplinary proceedings. The Illinois Supreme Court imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.
In re Matthew Eric Gurvey, Matter Number: 2021PR00073
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6225090
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Gurvey, who was licensed in 1994, was disbarred. During the time he was the subject of a prior attorney disciplinary proceeding, he misappropriated $25,000 he had agreed to hold in connection with a real estate transaction.
In re Patricia Manila Martin, Matter Number: 2023PR00034
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6192345
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Ms. Martin, who was licensed in 1986, was disbarred on consent. She intentionally used for her own purposes more than $240,000 she had agreed to hold for an elderly relative who was residing in a nursing home, made false statements to the physician who held her relative's power of attorney about the balances in his bank and investment accounts, and did not produce documents in response to an ARDC subpoena.
In re Jason Russel Caraway, Matter Number: 2022PR00046
Belleville, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6291446
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Caraway, who was licensed in 2007, was suspended from the practice of law for one year and until further order of the Court. He misappropriated $4,634 belonging to his client in a personal injury matter, falsely told the client that he had paid a lienholder, and failed to prepare or maintain appropriate trust account records. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Isaiah Skip Gant, Matter Number: 2023PR00045
Hermitage, Tennessee
Attorney Number: 910910
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Gant was licensed in Illinois in 1975 and in Tennessee in 2006. Tennessee disciplinary authorities censured him for improperly disclosing confidential information about a client he represented in a criminal matter, failing to inform his client that he had disclosed the information, engaging in a conflict of interest, and failing to report another attorney's misconduct. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and censured him.
In re Cory E. McGinn, Matter Number: 2022PR00085
Downers Grove, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6308002
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. McGinn, who was licensed in 2012, was disbarred on consent. Between 2020 and 2022, in the course of representing 26 clients in personal injury matters, he misappropriated more than $106,000 that was due those clients or their medical providers.
In re Karen Linden Boscamp, Matter Number: 2022PR00070
Key West, Florida
Attorney Number: 6209105
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Ms. Boscamp, who was licensed in 1992, was disbarred. She misappropriated $51,850 in trust assets while acting as co-trustee for a trust, knowingly offered evidence that she knew to be false in a guardianship proceeding, and made a false statement under oath to the ARDC.
In re Stephen Oneil Willoughby, Matter Number: 2023PR00048
Decatur, Illinois
Attorney Number: 3030628
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Mr. Willoughby, who was licensed in 1973, was disbarred on consent. He did not competently and diligently handle several civil matters and a criminal case. He also failed to communicate with his clients in those matters, failed to return over $10,000 in unearned fees, and engaged in the unauthorized practice of law on two occasions in the criminal case by appearing in court after he had been removed from the roll of attorneys for failing to register.
In re Jan R. Kowalski, Matter Number: 2023PR00047
La Grange Highlands, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6291301
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Ms. Kowalski, who was licensed in 2007, was disbarred on consent. She was convicted of concealing assets from a bankruptcy trustee when she and her brother made fraudulent representations, claims and promises in her brother's bankruptcy petition and accompanying documents, and when she used her client trust account to conceal from her brother's creditors and the trustee hundreds of thousands of dollars that were part of her brother's bankruptcy estate.
In re Leila Louisa Hale, Matter Number: 2023PR00038
Henderson, Nevada
Attorney Number: 6310633
Order entered: September 21, 2023
Ms. Hale was licensed in Nevada in 2000 and in Illinois in 2013. The Supreme Court of Nevada publicly reprimanded her for prematurely taking attorney's fees from funds she held in trust and for failing to promptly pay funds to a client and lienholders. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and censured Ms. Hale.
In re Michael Francis McClain, Matter Number: 2023PR00033
Quincy, Illinois
Attorney Number: 1818732
Order entered: July 17, 2023
Mr. McClain, who was licensed in 1975, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court after he was convicted in federal court of nine counts of bribery conspiracy, bribery, and willful falsification of records.
In re Anne R. Pramaggiore, Matter Number: 2023PR00032
Barrington, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6201809
Order entered: July 14, 2023
Ms. Pramaggiore, who was licensed in 1989, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court after she was convicted in federal court of nine counts of bribery conspiracy, bribery, and willful falsification of records.
In re George Louis Acosta, Matter Number: 2021PR00037
St. Charles, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6200430
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Mr. Acosta, who was licensed in 1989, was suspended for one year. He misappropriated $86,912 of client funds to his own benefit, including $39,000 that a court had ordered him to safeguard for a client who was a minor. The suspension is effective on June 6, 2023.
In re Ian Bennet Berliner, Matter Number: 2022PR00074
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6285741
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Mr. Berliner, who was licensed in 2005, was disbarred. He misappropriated more than $198,000 in escrow funds from five clients and used the money for his own purposes or to replace funds he took from other clients. He also made false statements to the ARDC and subsequently refused to cooperate with the ARDC's investigation.
In re James P. Ginzkey, Matter Number: 2021PR00031
Bloomington, Illinois
Attorney Number: 3124355
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Mr. Ginzkey, who was licensed in 1979, was censured. In the course of representing a client in a medical malpractice matter, he knowingly provided privileged documents to an expert witness in violation of a court order.
In re Sean Christopher Ziadeh, Matter Number: 2023PR00002
Farmington, Michigan
Attorney Number: 6285392
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Mr. Ziadeh was licensed in Michigan in 2002 and in Illinois in 2005. A Michigan Attorney Discipline Board reprimanded him for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and reprimanded him.
In re Helga Kahr, Matter Number: 2022PR00082
Seattle, Washington
Attorney Number: 1383485
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Ms. Kahr, who was licensed to practice law in Illinois in 1974, was disbarred after having been convicted of two counts of theft in the state of Washington and sentenced to 18 months in prison. She misappropriated more than $280,000 from a disabled person while serving as his guardian.
In re Matthew Eric Peek, Matter Number: 2022PR00045
Champaign, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6313706
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Mr. Peek, who was licensed in 2013, was suspended for six months and until he makes restitution or provides proof of a settlement with his former clients and consistent compliance with the terms of any such settlement. In two matters, he failed to act with reasonable diligence and did not communicate with his clients. He also failed to promptly deliver 13 garnishment checks owed to a client or respond to the client's inquiries about the checks. Finally, he made gratuitous comments of a sexual nature to opposing counsel and a paralegal in a domestic relations matter. The suspension is effective on June 6, 2023.
In re Kevin Patrick Wendorf, Matter Number: 2018PR00079
Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6287655
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Mr. Wendorf, who was licensed in 2005, was censured. He was found guilty of one count of battery based on his groping a woman who came to his law office to discuss a criminal case in which he was representing her.
In re Tara Marie Grimm, Matter Number: 2022PR00061
South Elgin, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6291356
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Ms. Grimm, who was licensed in 2007, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court. While working for a transportation company, she failed to diligently handle a matter and made false statements to her manager about her purported work on four matters. While later working for a law firm, she made false statements to the firm about her work and used the firm's credit card without authority for personal purchases totaling almost $2,000. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Raed A. Shalabi, Matter Number: 2022PR00062
Orland Park, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6290732
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Mr. Shalabi, who was licensed in 2006, was suspended for 60 days and required to complete the ARDC Professionalism Seminar within one year of the Court's order of discipline. He entered into a business transaction with clients without obtaining the clients' informed consent and without advising them to seek independent counsel. He also filed pleadings for a client in a federal court where he was not licensed to practice and then, before refunding fees, had the client sign a document agreeing not to file a disciplinary complaint against him. The suspension is effective on June 6, 2023.
In re Michael Allen Lancaster, Matter Number: 2023PR00012
Sterling, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6180310
Order entered: May 16, 2023
Mr. Lancaster, who was licensed in 1981, was disbarred. He was convicted of battery for making physical and sexual contact with a female client while she was in his law office.
In re Michael H. Hamilton, Matter Number: 2022PR00084
Las Vegas, Nevada
Attorney Number: 6182794
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Hamilton was licensed to practice in Illinois in 1982 and in Nevada in 2001. The Supreme Court of Nevada disbarred him for failing to comply with conditions of probation imposed in three prior Nevada disciplinary proceedings. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.
In re Michael Anthony Manges, Matter Number: 2022PR00027
Palatine, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6280536
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Manges, who was licensed in 2003, was disbarred for forging his employer's signature on hundreds of checks payable to the employer or his law firm, and for using the proceeds of those checks, more than $165,000, for his own purposes without authority.
In re Brandon James McNulty, Matter Number: 2022PR00064
Elgin, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6287872
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. McNulty, who was licensed in 2006, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by a two-year period of conditional probation. His discipline arose from his 2022 guilty plea to driving under the influence of alcohol and without a driver's license.
In re Justin Koslan Schwartz, Matter Number: 2022PR00030
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6257328
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Schwartz, who was licensed in 1999, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court and until he makes restitution of $1,000 to a client. He failed to appropriately pursue two criminal appeals and an employment matter, refused to refund $1,000 in unearned fees, and did not participate in his disciplinary proceeding. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Maureen Williams, Matter Number: 2021PR00032
Peoria, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6285393
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Ms. Williams, who was licensed in 2005, was suspended for 90 days after she pled guilty to forgery for submitting a falsified public service worksheet to a court services office in an attempt to show that she had complied with her sentence for a speeding infraction. The suspension is effective on April 11, 2023.
In re Daniel Edward Morgan, Matter Number: 2023PR00001
Tucson, Arizona
Attorney Number: 6276934
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Morgan was licensed in Illinois in 2002 and admitted as in-house counsel in Arizona in 2019. Arizona attorney discipline authorities admonished him for engaging in the practice of law in Arizona without timely registering as in-house counsel. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and reprimanded him.
In re Cass Thomas Casper, Matter Number: 2022PR00024
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6303022
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Casper, who was licensed in 2010, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after 60 days by a two-year period of probation with conditions. While representing a group of employees in a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Chicago and various individual defendants, Mr. Casper called one of the defendants whom he knew to be represented by counsel and had an approximately 20-minute conversation about the case. He later falsely stated to that defendant's counsel that he made no such call, altered his cell phone records to make it appear as though he did not make the call, and sent those altered records to the defendant's attorney. He also filed the altered records, along with a sworn declaration falsely claiming that they were accurate, with the court. The suspension is effective on April 11, 2023.
In re Lee Alan Campbell, Matter Number: 2022PR00076
Lincolnshire, Illinois
Attorney Number: 377317
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Campbell, who was licensed in 1969, was suspended for 90 days. He did not diligently represent a client in a medical malpractice action, resulting in the case being dismissed for want of prosecution. He then falsely led his client to believe that her case was still pending. The suspension is effective on April 11, 2023.
In re Stephen Ray Wigginton, Matter Number: 2021PR00097
Edwardsville, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6200459
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Wigginton, who was licensed in 1989, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by a three-year period of probation with conditions. Between 2017 and 2019, Mr. Wigginton was arrested three times for driving under the influence (DUI) in Madison County. In the first case, Mr. Wigginton pled guilty to DUI and received court supervision. The second and third cases were resolved as part of a plea agreement in which he pled guilty to the second DUI charge and was sentenced to 24 months' probation, 160 hours of community service, and a $2,800 fine in return for the dismissal of the third case.
In re Richard Lane Steagall, Matter Number: 2022PR00043
Peoria, Illinois
Attorney Number: 2711257
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Steagall, who was licensed in 1978, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court. He engaged in the unauthorized practice of law by representing a client while he was suspended from the practice of law in state and federal court. In another matter, he failed to communicate with a client and did not return a $2,500 unearned fee. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Neil Alan Spector, Matter Number: 2022PR00078
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6181744
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Spector, who was licensed in 1981, was suspended for 90 days. Over the course of 19 months, he represented nine clients in criminal matters after he had been removed from the roll of attorneys for failing to register with the Commission, pay his annual registration fee, and comply with Minimum Continuing Legal Education requirements. The suspension is effective on April 11, 2023.
In re Daniel Gordon Parsons, Matter Number: 2021PR00103
Geneva, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6208665
Order entered: March 21, 2023
Mr. Parsons, who was licensed in 1992, was suspended for three years and until further order of the Court. He dishonestly misappropriated over $69,000 in client funds in a probate matter. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Hassan Ali Abbas, Matter Number: 2022PR00083
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6206474
Order entered: January 24, 2023
Mr. Abbas, who was licensed in Illinois in 1991, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court after he was convicted of two counts of wire fraud, two counts of unlawful monetary transactions, one count of money laundering, and one count of money laundering conspiracy. He was involved in a number of internet scams including “romance scams” in which he would use online dating profiles to have victims transfer money under false pretenses.
In re Nejla K. Lane, Matter Number: 2019PR00074
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6290003
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Ms. Lane, who was licensed in 2006, was suspended for nine months, with the suspension stayed after six months by a six-month term of probation with conditions. While she was engaged in litigation in a federal court, Ms. Lane sent three e-mails containing false or reckless statements about a magistrate judge's integrity to the judge, courtroom personnel and another attorney involved in the case. The suspension is effective on February 7, 2023.
In re Tradd Ashton Fromme, Matter Number: 2021PR00072
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6291557
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Mr. Fromme, who was licensed in 2007, was suspended for three years and until further order of the Court. On at least 90 occasions, he used a credit card belonging to the real estate company for which he was in-house counsel to make unauthorized payments to merchant accounts he controlled. The payments totaled over $136,000. In addition, he misrepresented to the ARDC the amount of restitution he had paid to the credit card company. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re David Kyle Cooper, Matter Number: 2021PR00082
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6277289
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Mr. Cooper, who was licensed in 2002, was suspended for three years and until further order of the Court. He signed his personal injury client's name on a settlement release, falsely attested that he had witnessed his client's signature, used $36,641 of settlement funds without his client's authorization, and concealed his use of the client's funds. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Hedwig Sarnicki, Matter Number: 2022PR00041
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6208136
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Ms. Sarnicki, who was licensed in 1991, was suspended for 30 days. She assisted a disbarred attorney in the unauthorized practice of law by representing an individual in a workers' compensation case without the individual's consent, thereby allowing the disbarred attorney to falsely represent himself to the individual as being able to practice law. The suspension is effective on February 7, 2023.
In re Mauricio Boris Andres Araujo, Matter Number: 2022PR00026
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6215707
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Mr. Araujo, who was licensed in 1993, was disbarred for sexually harassing three women: a Chicago police officer, a court reporter and an Assistant State's Attorney, while he was acting as a Cook County Circuit Court Judge. The Illinois Courts Commission initiated a disciplinary matter against then-Judge Araujo based on this same misconduct and entered an oral ruling finding that he had committed the misconduct. Mr. Araujo, however, retired from the bench one month before the Courts Commission entered its written findings on the ruling, thereby preventing the Courts Commission from pursuing discipline against him.
In re David Louis Bartelsmeyer, Matter Number: 2022PR00021
Herrin, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6209596
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Mr. Bartelsmeyer, who was licensed in 1992, was suspended for three years and until further order of the Court. While acting as an attorney agent for Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. in connection with various real estate matters, he converted $11,123 belonging to ATG and provided altered bank statements to ATG in order to conceal his conversions. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Margaret Jean Lowery, Matter Number: 2020PR00018
Belleville, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6271777
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Ms. Lowery, who was licensed in 2000, was suspended for 30 days and required to successfully complete the ARDC Professionalism Seminar within one year. She knowingly or recklessly made a false statement impugning the integrity of a judge and made false statements to the ARDC during her sworn statement. The suspension is effective on February 7, 2023.
In re Russell John Luchtenburg, Matter Number: 2022PR00025
Belvidere, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6185746
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Mr. Luchtenburg, who was licensed in 1983, was suspended for 30 days. He engaged in a conflict of interest by representing a client in a dissolution of marriage case while also pursuing a romantic relationship with her. He also made false or misleading statements in connection with the Administrator's investigation of his conduct. The suspension is effective on February 7, 2023.
In re India Noelle Winbush, Matter Number: 2022PR00015
Homewood, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6314281
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Ms. Winbush, who was licensed in 2013, was suspended for 90 days and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by a two-year period of probation with conditions. A judge held her in contempt for failing to appear at multiple court dates in a dissolution of marriage matter. In another case, she failed to timely turn over a client file to new counsel and was sanctioned by the court for not complying with various court orders.
In re Nicole Lynn Beran, Matter Number: 2021PR00076
Rockford, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6271587
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Ms. Beran, who was licensed in 2000, was suspended for six months and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after 30 days by a two-year period of probation with conditions. She did not diligently handle two dissolution of marriage matters and one child custody matter, and she repeatedly failed to respond to clients' requests for information about their cases. The suspension is effective on February 7, 2023.
In re Timothy Paul Peterson, Matter Number: 2022PR00068
Tucson, Arizona
Attorney Number: 6313717
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Mr. Peterson, who was licensed in 2013, was suspended for six months. He agreed to the purported settlement of an underinsured motorist claim against his client, an insurance company, for $75,000 without the company's authorization, and repeatedly made false statements to his opposing counsel about the status of the purported settlement. The suspension is effective on February 7, 2023.
In re David Hall, Matter Number: 2022PR00077
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Attorney Number: 6333638
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Mr. Hall, who was licensed in 2019, was suspended for 60 days, with the suspension stayed after 30 days by a one-year period of probation with conditions. He recorded 277 hours in false time entries while working on a document review project for a large law firm. The suspension is effective on February 7, 2023.
In re Robert James Semrad, Matter Number: 2021PR00044
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6226455
Order entered: January 17, 2023
Mr. Semrad, who was licensed in 1994, was suspended for 90 days and until further order of the Court. In 2012, Mr. Semrad was placed on court supervision for a misdemeanor driving-under-the-influence charge, and he was later convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Helga Kahr, Matter Number: 2022PR00082
Seattle, Washington
Attorney Number: 1383485
Order entered: December 2, 2022
Ms. Kahr, who was licensed in Illinois in 1974, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court after she was convicted in Washington of two counts of theft for having misappropriated more than $282,000 from a disabled man while serving as the man's guardian. She used the funds to satisfy her delinquent mortgage.
In re Rebecca Suzanne Murray, Matter Number: 2021PR00077
Oak Park, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6311937
Order entered: November 23, 2022
Ms. Murray, who was licensed in 2013, was suspended for six months and until further order of the Court and until she completes the ARDC Professionalism Seminar. She took a $2,500 retainer to represent a client in a civil matter but did not pursue the matter, communicate with the client, or refund her unearned fee. She also failed to cooperate with the ARDC's investigation of her conduct. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Christopher Robert Emerald, Matter Number: 2021PR00085
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6269706
Order entered: November 23, 2022
Mr. Emerald, who was licensed in 1999, was suspended for one year and until he makes restitution to a client. He delayed in filing a probate case and misled his client about the case's status. When he eventually opened the probate case, he forged the client's signature on documents and filed them with the court. He also forged the client's ex-spouse's signature on a document, although he did not file it with the court. The suspension is effective on December 14, 2022.
In re Ronald Richard Duebbert, Matter Number: 2020PR00034
Belleville, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6203242
Order entered: November 23, 2022
Mr. Duebbert, a former circuit court judge in St. Clair County who was licensed in 1990, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court. In 2016 and 2107, he made false statements to the police and to the Judicial Inquiry Board about his contacts with a friend of his who was the subject of a criminal investigation. He has been suspended on an interim basis since July 13, 2020. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Barbara Ann Susman, Matter Number: 2018PR00080
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6186506
Order entered: November 23, 2022
Ms. Susman, who was licensed in 1983, was suspended for five months, with the suspension stayed in full by one year of probation with conditions. She failed to diligently pursue two clients' immigration matters, did not adequately communicate with the clients, and failed to respond to the ARDC's requests for information.
In re Alison Marie Yohanna, Matter Number: 2022PR00049
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6298166
Order entered: November 23, 2022
Ms. Yohanna, who was licensed in 2009, was suspended for six months. While working as an investigator for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability ("COPA") in Chicago, she repeatedly, and without authorization, accessed a private database of police records in violation of the terms of her employment. When an investigation ensued, she falsely reported that another COPA investigator, whom she wrongly suspected of having reported her misconduct, was planning on carrying out a mass shooting at the COPA office. The suspension is effective on December 14, 2022.
In re Blake Erin Stone, Matter Number: 2022PR00075
Fort Myer, Virginia
Attorney Number: 6238173
Order entered: November 23, 2022
Mr. Stone, who was licensed in 1996, was disbarred on consent for neglecting six client matters, failing to refund approximately $16,000 in unearned fees, and making misrepresentations to clients, a court and the ARDC regarding those matters and his health.
In re John Paul Kolb, Matter Number: 2022PR00039
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6225351
Order entered: November 23, 2022
Mr. Kolb, who was licensed in 1994, was suspended for 30 days. Ten months after learning of his personal injury client's death, Mr. Kolb prepared and sent a letter to an insurance company demanding settlement for injuries and for "future pain and physical limitations." The insurance company made a counteroffer, and Mr. Kolb purported to enter into a settlement agreement despite never having taken steps to substitute the deceased client's estate as the claimant. He did so even though he knew that the insurance company was unaware that his client had died. The suspension is effective on December 14, 2022.
In re Ashmit S. Patel, Matter Number: 2022PR00065
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6309877
Order entered: October 4, 2022
Mr. Patel, who was licensed in 2012, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court after he pled guilty in a California federal court to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and manipulative trading. In his plea agreement, Mr. Patel acknowledged that he and other defendants, including the CEO of a home healthcare company, engaged in what is known as a “pump and dump” scheme by conspiring to make it appear that there was an active market for shares in the company, when in fact those shares were thinly traded.
In re Richard Michael Ruggiero, Matter Number: 2021PR00078
Oak Park, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6211359
Order entered: September 23, 2022
Mr. Ruggiero, who was licensed in 1992, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court after the ARDC's Inquiry Board authorized the filing of a formal disciplinary complaint charging him with dishonestly misappropriating more than $260,000 to which he had access as trustee of his late aunt's trust.
In re Robert Edward Lewin, Matter Number: 2021PR00074
Skokie, Illinois
Attorney Number: 1646710
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Lewin, who was licensed in 1974, was suspended from the practice of law for 60 days. He communicated with a defendant in a criminal case whom he knew to be represented by counsel without consent of that defendant's lawyer. He also prepared and had that defendant sign a typewritten incriminating statement, which he then filed with a motion to reduce bond in his own client's case. Mr. Lewin also sought to represent that defendant even though the representation would be directly adverse to, and materially limited by, his responsibilities to another client in a related case. The suspension is effective on November 1, 2022.
In re Richard William Gannett, Matter Number: 2021PR00092
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6180511
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Gannett was licensed to practice in Illinois in 1981 and in Massachusetts in 1982. The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts disbarred him for intentionally converting over $42,000 that he was supposed to be holding in connection with an insurance dispute. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.
In re Jeffrey Allen McIntyre, Matter Number: 2021PR00018
Madison, Wisconsin
Attorney Number: 6225606
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. McIntyre, who was licensed in 1994, was suspended for 18 months and until further order of the Court. His misconduct arose from his December 2017 guilty plea to a charge of battery after he punched an employee of a tavern and his October 2018 guilty plea to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, his third conviction for driving while intoxicated. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Mark Edward McNabola, Matter Number: 2018PR00083
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6189613
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. McNabola, who was licensed in 1985, was censured for misconduct in connection with two separate matters. In one matter, he facilitated ten separate loans from his father to one of his clients. After the representation of that client ended and the client did not repay the loans, one of Mr. McNabola's partners represented Mr. McNabola's father in a collection lawsuit against the former client. In another matter, following a dispute with his former partners that went to arbitration, Mr. McNabola issued a subpoena for an employee's cell phone records under the caption of the closed arbitration matter.
In re Andrew Dag Babcock, Matter Number: 2022PR00037
Bridgman, Michigan
Attorney Number: 6257717
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Babcock, who was licensed in 1992, was disbarred on consent. In September 2021, a Michigan jury found him guilty of three counts of criminal sexual conduct.
In re Philip Edwin Koenig, Matter Number: 2020PR00076
Rock Island, Illinois
Attorney Number: 1498606
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Koenig, who was licensed in 1975, was suspended for one year for intentionally converting $70,076 in funds that were owed to his client after the settlement of a lawsuit over the construction of a will. The suspension is effective on November 2, 2022.
In re Sidney Boyston Smith, Matter Number: 2021PR00048
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6227144
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Smith, who was licensed in 1995, was suspended for five months. He failed to report his mother's death to her retirement benefit fund, and, for 10 months, he received and used $37,151 in annuity payments to which he was not entitled. The suspension is effective on October 12, 2022.
In re Jeffrey Gerald Kendall, Matter Number: 2021PR00040
Westmont, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6192484
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Kendall, who was licensed in 1986, was censured. He commenced and conducted an inappropriate sexual relationship with a client after the formation of their client-lawyer relationship and engaged in dishonest conduct when he prepared a letter to the woman's prospective landlord falsely identifying her as an employee of his law firm and providing false information about her purported salary and work history.
In re Robert Earl Schulz, Matter Number: 2022PR00044
Springfield, Virginia
Attorney Number: 2516829
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Schulz was licensed in Illinois in 1968 and in Virginia in 1982. The Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board revoked his license to practice law and struck his name from the roll of attorneys after he failed to perfect the appeal of his client's criminal matter, resulting in the dismissal of his client's appeal. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him until he is reinstated to the practice of law in Virginia.
In re Brian Keith Sides, Matter Number: 2020PR00047
Champaign, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6278446
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Sides, who was licensed in 2002, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court. He made false or reckless statements about the integrity of a federal bankruptcy judge in nine motions filed in the bankruptcy or federal district court. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Douglas Ellis Miles, Matter Number: 2022PR00051
Santa Ana, California
Attorney Number: 1907913
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Miles was licensed to practice in Illinois in 1975 and in California in 1985. The Supreme Court of California suspended him for two years, stayed after 90 days by two years of probation with conditions, for misusing his client trust account over a 17-month period and failing to respond to California bar authorities' requests for information about his conduct. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for two years in Illinois, stayed after 90 days by a term of probation subject to the conditions imposed in California and continuing until his California probation is satisfied. The suspension is effective on October 12, 2022.
In re Soon Mo Ahn, Matter Number: 2020PR00045
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6206480
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Ahn, who was licensed in 1991, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court. He refused to withdraw his appearance in a client's dissolution of marriage case after the client's relative, who had been authorized as the client's attorney-in-fact, terminated his representation, and he filed frivolous pleadings and acted dishonestly to benefit himself in the matter. In another case, he represented a client despite a conflict of interest and acted dishonestly to benefit a third person in the transfer of a condominium via a quitclaim deed. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Patricia Novak McCloskey, Matter Number: 2022PR00052
St. Louis, Missouri
Attorney Number: 6198037
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Ms. McCloskey was licensed in Illinois in 1988 and in Missouri in 1987. The Missouri Supreme Court indefinitely suspended her, with the suspension fully stayed by a one-year period of probation with conditions, and ordered that, should probation be revoked and the suspension take effect, no petition for reinstatement would be considered for a period of six months from the date the suspension became effective. She pled guilty to misdemeanor harassment for pointing a semi-automatic pistol at a group of protesting individuals outside of her home, with the purpose of causing emotional distress. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended her for six months and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by a one-year period of probation, nunc pro tunc to February 8, 2022, subject to the conditions imposed in Missouri and continuing until she successfully completes her Missouri probation.
In re Heather Lynn Biagi, Matter Number: 2021PR00101
Edwardsville, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6316215
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Ms. Biagi, who was licensed in 2014, was suspended from the practice of law for five months. In 2019, she was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol and other offenses after she drove into a police patrol car. In 2021, she was convicted of theft after she altered a site development plan that had earlier been prepared for her by a licensed engineer and submitted the altered plan to a county development department. The suspension is effective on October 12, 2022.
In re Stephen W. Newport, Matter Number: 2022PR00054
Bettendorf, Iowa
Attorney Number: 6203590
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Newport was licensed to practice in Illinois in 1990 and in Iowa in 1978. The Supreme Court of Iowa suspended him with no possibility of reinstatement for one year for sexually harassing two clients. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for one year and until he is reinstated to the practice of law in Iowa. The suspension is effective on October 12, 2022.
In re Elizabeth Diane Tate, Matter Number: 2022PR00057
Phoenix, Arizona
Attorney Number: 6298936
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Ms. Tate was licensed in Illinois in 2009 and in Arizona in 2015. The Presiding Disciplinary Judge of the Supreme Court of Arizona reprimanded her and placed her on a one-year period of probation with conditions. While handling a federal civil matter, she failed to comply with court orders to file certain documents by specific deadlines, did not address controlling caselaw in her arguments and pleadings or understand relevant legal documents or procedures, and did not review pleadings that her paralegal had drafted before she filed them with the court. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline, reprimanding her and placing her on a one-year period of probation, nunc pro tunc to May 10, 2022, subject to the conditions imposed by Arizona and continuing until she successfully completes her Arizona probation.
In re Robert Alan Roth, Matter Number: 2022PR00055
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Attorney Number: 3123594
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Roth, who was licensed in 1979, was disbarred on consent. His misconduct arose from his June 2021 conviction in Lake County for aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, causing the death of another. Following his conviction, Mr. Roth was sentenced to five years in prison.
In re Stevan Krkljes, Matter Number: 2022PR00028
Park Ridge, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6198441
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Krkljes, who was licensed in 1988, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after 30 days in favor of a two-year period of probation with conditions. He failed to diligently pursue a workers' compensation and a personal injury matter and misrepresented the status of those matters to his clients. He also pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. The suspension is effective on October 12, 2022.
In re Kevin P. McCarty, Matter Number: 2022PR00020
Naperville, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6244663
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. McCarty was licensed in 1998. He was suspended for one year with the suspension stayed after 60 days in favor of an 18-month period of probation with conditions. He failed to diligently pursue several clients' dissolution of marriage cases, he did not keep those clients reasonably informed about their matters or promptly comply with their reasonable requests for information, and he failed to refund unearned fees. The suspension is effective on October 12, 2022.
In re Felipe Nery Gomez, Matter Number: 2020PR00064
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6197210
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Gomez, who was licensed in 1988, was suspended for three years and until further order of the Court. In three separate legal matters, he repeatedly sent threatening and harassing email messages to other attorneys. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Mark Thomas Mc Closkey, Matter Number: 2022PR00058
St. Louis, Missouri
Attorney Number: 6195292
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. McCloskey was licensed in Illinois in 1987 and in Missouri in 1986. The Missouri Supreme Court indefinitely suspended him, with the suspension fully stayed by a one-year period of probation with conditions, and ordered that, should probation be revoked and the suspension take effect, no petition for reinstatement would be considered for a period of six months from the date the suspension became effective. He pled guilty to misdemeanor assault for waiving a semi-automatic rifle in the direction of protesting individuals outside of his home, purposefully placing at least one other person in apprehension of immediate physical injury. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for six months and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by a one-year period of probation, nunc pro tunc to February 8, 2022, subject to the conditions imposed in Missouri and continuing until he successfully completes his Missouri probation.
In re Jessica Arong O'Brien, Matter Number: 2018PR00111
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6255568
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Ms. O'Brien, who was licensed in 1998, was disbarred. She has been suspended on an interim basis since April 26, 2018, after a federal jury in Chicago found her guilty of the crimes of mail fraud and bank fraud based on her involvement in a scheme to obtain bank loans by making false statements about her income and liabilities.
In re Carlo P. Palladinetti, Matter Number: 2020PR00083
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6189764
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. Palladinetti, who was licensed in 1985, was disbarred. He was found guilty of bank fraud after he participated in a multi-year scheme that provided fraudulent information to lenders in order to qualify buyers for mortgage loans to purchase condominium units owned by other participants in the scheme.
In re Matthew Ryan McCormick, Matter Number: 2021PR00098
Olney, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6335297
Order entered: September 21, 2022
Mr. McCormick, who was licensed in Illinois in 2021, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after six months by a two-year period of probation with conditions. He failed to diligently handle a number of bankruptcy matters, did not adequately communicate with those clients, and made misrepresentations to those clients and his employer about the status of the cases. The suspension is effective on October 12, 2022.
In re Mark Doyle Easley II, Matter Number: 2022PR00010
St. Louis, Missouri
Attorney Number: 6284488
Order entered: May 19, 2022
Mr. Easley was licensed to practice in Illinois in 2007 and in Missouri in 2000. The Supreme Court of Missouri entered an order suspending him indefinitely and staying the suspension in full in favor of a two-year period of conditional probation. Mr. Easley failed act with reasonable diligence to complete an elderly client's estate planning matter and did not reasonably communicate with the client. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him until he is reinstated to the practice of law in Missouri, with the suspension stayed in its entirety by a term of probation subject to the conditions imposed in Missouri and continuing until he has satisfied his Missouri probation.
In re Dale B. Halling, Matter Number: 2022PR00011
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Attorney Number: 6216189
Order entered: May 19, 2022
Mr. Halling was licensed to practice in Illinois in 1993 and in Colorado in 1995. The Supreme Court of Colorado disbarred him for not diligently representing three clients in patent matters, failing to keep clients informed about the status of their matters, converting client funds in two of the matters, and abandoning two of the clients. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.
In re Valarie Pope Franklin, Matter Number: 2019PR00068
Oak Park, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6224951
Order entered: May 19, 2022
Ms. Franklin, who was licensed in 1994, was disbarred for intentionally converting more than $122,000 owed to ten separate clients in workers' compensation and other matters.
In re Marc Ericson Darnell, Matter Number: 2022PR00012
Newport News, Virginia
Attorney Number: 6284760
Order entered: May 19, 2022
Mr. Darnell was licensed to practice in Illinois in 2005 and in Virginia in 2007. On March 18, 2021, the Virginia State Disciplinary Board entered an order suspending him for nine months, effective on September 19, 2022, when his current three-year Virginia suspension ends. Mr. Darnell did not diligently pursue a client's personal injury matter, did not reasonably communicate with his client, and made misrepresentations to his client about the status of her matter. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for nine months and until he is reinstated to the practice of law in Virginia, effective on October 13, 2023, when his current Illinois reciprocal suspension is due to end.
In re John Russell McCulloh, Matter Number: 2021PR00071
Lyons, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6184345
Order entered: May 19, 2022
Mr. McCulloh, who licensed in 1983, was suspended from the practice of law for one year, with the suspension stayed after 60 days in favor of a one-year period of probation. He commingled and used without authority approximately $5,200 in others' funds in connection with real estate escrow and earnest money matters. The suspension is effective on June 9, 2022.
In re Mahdis Azimi, Matter Number: 2021PR00017
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6320242
Order entered: May 19, 2022
Ms. Azimi, who was licensed in 2015, was suspended for 90 days. In the course of representing a client in an immigration matter, she failed to file an application to adjust the client's visa status, made false statements about the status of the matter to the client, and generated two fabricated emails purportedly from an immigration agency in order to mislead the client about the status of the matter. The suspension is effective on June 9, 2022.
In re James Russell Leone, Matter Number: 2022PR00023
Deltona, Florida
Attorney Number: 6181121
Order entered: May 19, 2022
Mr. Leone was licensed to practice in Illinois in 1981 and in Florida in 1985. In December 2020, the Supreme Court of Florida granted Mr. Leone's petition for disciplinary revocation of his law license, with leave to seek readmission after five years. He had misrepresented facts to a third person in connection with litigation over a piece of property on which Mr. Leone and his wife had paid past-due property taxes. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him until he is reinstated to the practice of law in Florida. The suspension is effective on June 9, 2022.
In re Andres Ybarra, Matter Number: 2021PR00019
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6298009
Order entered: May 19, 2022
Mr. Ybarra, who was licensed in 2008, was suspended for one year, with the suspension stayed after 60 days by an 18-month period of conditional probation. Mr. Ybarra failed to diligently represent clients in several matters, including divorce and family-law cases, made misrepresentations to clients about the status of their matters, and did not refund unearned fees to a number of those clients. The suspension is effective on June 9, 2022.
In re Michael John Ries, Matter Number: 2021PR00090
Peshtigo, Wisconsin
Attorney Number: 6244774
Order entered: May 19, 2022
Mr. Ries, who licensed in 1998, was suspended from the practice of law for two years and until he is reinstated to the practice of law before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He engaged in a number of criminal acts involving incidents of domestic violence and driving while over the legal limit for alcohol, and he mishandled three patent applications. The suspension is effective on June 9, 2022.
In re Beau J. White, Matter Number: 2021PR00062
Manzon, Indiana
Attorney Number: 6257235
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. White was licensed in Illinois in 1998 and in Indiana in 1999. The Indiana Supreme Court suspended him for three years, without automatic reinstatement, for failing to act with diligence in a criminal matter and a paternity case, failing to properly communicate with clients, and not cooperating in his own disciplinary proceedings. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for three years and until he is reinstated in Indiana. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.
In re Dean William O'Connor, Matter Number: 2021PR00088
Phoenix, Arizona
Attorney Number: 6181649
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. O'Connor was licensed in Illinois in 1980 and in Arizona in 1988. An Arizona disciplinary hearing panel disbarred him for engaging in a pattern of misconduct in three separate matters. In one matter, he converted $40,000 in funds belonging to a bankruptcy estate and disbursed over $230,000 in insurance proceeds to his client without disclosing the receipt or disbursement of those proceeds to the court. In another matter, he did not adequately communicate with his client and failed to research issues involved in his client's matter. In a third matter, he advanced non-meritorious claims and contentions, made false representations in a court filing, and made false statements to the Arizona State Bar during its investigation into his conduct. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.
In re Donald F. Moonen Jr., Matter Number: 2021PR00089
Epworth, Iowa
Attorney Number: 1948059
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Moonen was licensed in Illinois in 1976 and in Iowa in 1997. The Supreme Court of Iowa reprimanded him for neglecting a client matter and failing to comply with Iowa disciplinary authorities' requests for information about his conduct. Mr. Moonen is currently suspended in Iowa on a separate case involving his failure to cooperate with Iowa disciplinary authorities' investigations. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for five months and until he is reinstated to the practice of law in Iowa. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.
In re Craig Barry Sherman, Matter Number: 2021PR00095
Boca Raton, Florida
Attorney Number: 2582716
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Sherman was licensed in Illinois in 1967 and in Florida in 1975. The Supreme Court of Florida permanently revoked his admission to the Florida Bar after he filed a petition for disciplinary revocation without leave to apply for readmission, which stated that he was the subject of a disciplinary grievance alleging, in part, misuse of funds totaling $4,175,000. Mr. Sherman agreed that there was factual predicate for disciplinary action against him. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.
In re Bruce Allen Willey, Matter Number: 2021PR00096
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Attorney Number: 6294769
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Willey was licensed in Illinois in 2008 and in Iowa in 1993. The Supreme Court of Iowa suspended him with no possibility for reinstatement for 30 days. In securing a $200,000 loan for a company that he and a client co-owned, the repayment of which that client personally guaranteed, he entered into a business transaction with a second client without disclosing the first client's financial liabilities and without obtaining the second client's informed consent. He also misrepresented his ownership interest in the company that was to receive the loan and withheld material details about the purpose of the loan. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for thirty days. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.
In re John Eric Tresslar, Matter Number: 2021PR00100
Saint Louis, Missouri
Attorney Number: 6192401
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Tresslar was licensed in Missouri in 1985 and in Illinois in 1986. The Supreme Court of Missouri disbarred him for failing to diligently represent a client, failing to maintain complete records for his trust account, misappropriating more than $68,000 belonging to his clients, and making misrepresentations to a tribunal. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.
In re Ryan S. Kosztya, Matter Number: 2018PR00113
Joliet, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6276598
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Kosztya, who was licensed in 2002, was suspended for two years and until he completes the ARDC Professionalism Seminar, followed by a one-year term of probation with conditions. Mr. Kosztya dishonestly misappropriated over $58,000 from clients in two matters and then made false statements to the clients and a court to hide his use of the funds. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.
In re Jaroslaw Arkadiusz Szymanski, Matter Number: 2021PR00053
Libertyville, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6311410
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Szymanski, who was licensed in 2013, was suspended from the practice of law for two years and until further order of the Court. In 2016, Mr. Szymanski was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic battery and domestic battery arising from an incident in which he pushed his spouse against a wall and placed his hands around her throat, causing a partial obstruction of her breathing. Mr. Szymanski later pled guilty to misdemeanor battery in connection with that incident. In 2018, Mr. Szymanski again was arrested for an incident in which he punched his spouse in the arm and attempted to punch her in the stomach, for which he was charged with two counts of resisting a peace officer and two counts of domestic battery. Those charges were later dismissed. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Richard George Fonfrias, Matter Number: 2021PR00049
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6237079
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Fonfrias, who was licensed in 1996, was suspended for six months. He failed to appear when required before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois, made false statements about appearing before the bankruptcy court in an affidavit and to a third person, and made false statements to the ARDC about drafting the affidavit. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.
In re Sheldon Lee Banks, Matter Number: 2020PR00068
Deerfield, Illinois
Attorney Number: 107263
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Banks, who was licensed in 1965, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court and was required to demonstrate that he has paid $7,000 in restitution, plus interest, to his former client's sister prior to petitioning for reinstatement. While representing the client in a criminal matter, he did not respond to the client's family's requests for information about the case, collected an unreasonable fee of $9,000 when he made no court appearances and filed no pleadings or briefs, and returned only $2,000 of the fee. He also did not respond to an ARDC subpoena. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Lori Jo Kieffer, Matter Number: 2022PR00005
Davenport, Iowa
Attorney Number: 6275268
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Ms. Kieffer was licensed in Illinois in 2001 and in Iowa in 2002. The Supreme Court of Iowa suspended her with no possibility for reinstatement for one year. While representing a client in a criminal matter, she falsified her client's signature on a written arraignment form and then made misrepresentations to the court about what she had done. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended her for one year and until further order of the Court. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Paul Anthony Tanzillo, Matter Number: 2020PR00056
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6192433
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Tanzillo, who was licensed in 1986, was suspended for four months and was required to complete the ARDC Professionalism Seminar within one year of the order of discipline. He failed to properly communicate with his clients, waitresses who were the subject of charges that they had violated a local ordinance, and improperly represented the women despite a conflict of interest arising from his concurrent representation of the restaurant chain that employed them. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.
In re K.O. Johnson, Matter Number: 2022PR00007
Sycamore, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6237386
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Mr. Johnson, who was licensed in 1996, was disbarred on consent. His misconduct arose from his August 2021 convictions of four counts of bankruptcy fraud and three counts of concealment of assets, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison.
In re Jessica Rose Allen, Matter Number: 2021PR00055
Palatine, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6315173
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Ms. Allen, who was licensed in 2014, was suspended from the practice of law for one year and until further order of the Court. In 2019 and 2020, Ms. Allen failed to diligently pursue two related immigration matters and repeatedly misled her clients about the status of those matters. Ms. Allen was previously disciplined for nearly identical misconduct in 2018. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Roni S. VanAusdall, Matter Number: 2021PR00039
Quincy, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6279961
Order entered: March 25, 2022
Ms. VanAusdall, who was licensed to practice in 2003, was suspended for one year. During a dissolution of marriage case, she came to an agreement with opposing counsel concerning parenting time, prepared a proposed order memorializing the agreement, and obtained opposing counsel's permission to submit the order to the trial judge for entry. Ms. VanAusdall then created a second proposed order that included provisions that had not been agreed upon and falsely assured the trial judge that opposing counsel had agreed to the order she was presenting. She was the subject of a misdemeanor charge of attempt forgery. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.
In re Patrick Daley Thompson, Matter Number: 2022PR00014
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6270729
Order entered: March 18, 2022
Mr. Thompson, who was licensed in 1999, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court. He was found guilty following a jury trial of two charges of knowingly making false statements to a financial institution and five charges of tax fraud.
In re Paul D. Buhl, Matter Number: 2021PR00075
East Hampton, Connecticut
Attorney Number: 6190479
Order entered: January 20, 2022
Mr. Buhl was licensed in Illinois in 1985 and in Connecticut in 1987. In July 2017, the Superior Court for the Judicial District of Middlesex, Connecticut, suspended him until 1) he successfully completed a two-year period of probation in a criminal matter for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor or drugs, and 2) he is reinstated to the practice of law in Connecticut, where was administratively suspended for failure to pay a mandatory Client Security Fund fee. The Superior Court later suspended Mr. Buhl for two years, retroactive to October 15, 2019, and required him to apply for reinstatement to the practice of law, for illegally operating a motor vehicle and failing to participate in his disciplinary proceedings. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for two years and until he is reinstated to the practice of law in Connecticut. The suspension is effective on February 10, 2022.
In re Robert John Hankes, Matter Number: 2019PR00102
Warrenville, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6288209
Order entered: January 20, 2022
Mr. Hankes, who was licensed in 2006, was suspended for three years and until he completes the ARDC Professionalism Seminar, for converting nearly $80,000 of client funds. He accomplished the conversion by reactivating a dormant client account at the law firm at which he was a shareholder, creating and sending multiple false invoices, directing payments to the formally dormant account, and submitting fraudulent reimbursement requests to his firm's accounting department. The suspension is effective on February 10, 2022.
In re Brent Michael Wills, Matter Number: 2021PR00021
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6292086
Order entered: January 20, 2022
Mr. Wills, who was licensed in 2007, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after five months in favor of a two-year period of conditional probation. In two cases, Mr. Wills failed to appear in court for clients, leading to the dismissal of the cases. He then made misrepresentations to the clients about the status of the lawsuits. The suspension is effective on February 10, 2022.
In re Timothy J. Fitzgerald, Matter Number: 2017PR00116
New Buffalo, Michigan
Attorney Number: 6208418
Order entered: January 20, 2022
Mr. Fitzgerald, who was licensed in 1991, was suspended for three years and until further order of the Court retroactive to his March 8, 2018 interim suspension from the practice of law. His misconduct arose from his Michigan criminal convictions for manufacturing marijuana, maintaining a drug house, and possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Michael Christopher Burr, Matter Number: 2021PR00004
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6228938
Order entered: January 20, 2022
Mr. Burr, who was licensed in 1995, was censured and required to complete the ARDC Professionalism Seminar within one year of the order of discipline. In a bankruptcy matter, he filed a declaration by his client that purported to certify that the client had reviewed certain schedules and statements when he knew the client had not reviewed them. He also provided a false itemization of some of his time to the bankruptcy trustee, who was seeking information to substantiate Mr. Burr's fees on the matter.
In re Mark A. Hamill, Matter Number: 2021PR00016
Libertyville, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6206975
Order entered: January 20, 2022
Mr. Hamill, who was licensed in 1991, was suspended for three years and until further order of the Court and until he makes restitution to his former client. He failed to act with reasonable diligence in seeking a patent application for a client, he ignored the client's attempts to reach him and then made false statements to the client about the status of her matter, he failed to return $2,975 in fees he had not earned, and he did not cooperate with a disciplinary investigation. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.
In re Edward William Hynes, Matter Number: 2021PR00065
Chicago, Illinois
Attorney Number: 6324093
Order entered: January 20, 2022
Mr. Hynes, who was licensed in 2016, was suspended for one year and until further order of the Court, with the suspension stayed after 90 days in favor of a three-year period of probation. He attempted to settle two cases without his clients' permission and made misrepresentations to a tribunal and opposing counsel about the status of the cases. The suspension is effective on February 10, 2022.
