Stung But Not Disbarred

An attorney convicted of money laundering has been suspended for three years by the New Jersey Supreme Court.

The conviction was the result of an FBI sting operation. The attorney thought he was assisting a client going through a bitter divorce.

The court rejected the disbarment recommendation of the majority of its Disciplinary Review Board, which noted:

In essense, repondent asks us to retry his criminal matter and to find that he was just an innocent player in the sting operation....respondent's conviction is conclusive evidence of his guilt. Despite his claim of ignorance and/or naitete, a jury found that he knbowingly and voluntarily joined in a conspiracy to launder money. He did not appeal that finding, but only his sentence.

Unfortunately, the court order does not explain its reasoning in rejecting the disbarment recommendation. (Mike Frisch)