Attorney Whose Law Firm Paid for Lavish Home Bath Remodel Gets Time in $466K Forgery Case
Corrected: An Illinois attorney who was found guilty of forging checks and taking $466,000 from his law firm’s account for his own personal use was sentenced yesterday to a 42-month prison term.
Steven D. Gustafson, 47, was guilty of one of the oldest sins in the book, greed, said DuPage County Judge John Kinsella. Gustafson told the judge he was painfully aware he had let many people down, reports the Chicago Tribune.
The suburban Chicago lawyer used $9,000 of the money to pay his property tax bill and another $18,000 for a home bathroom remodeling job that his contractor photographed and used in a marketing brochure to promote his business, according to trial testimony. Gustafson also paid a dental bill for his secretary.
He has been disbarred and owes a $1.3 million civil judgment to his former law partners.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Suburban Chicago Lawyer Accused of Asking Priest to Help Cover Stolen Firm Cash”
Updated Dec. 2 to correctly state that Gustafson owes $1.3 million to his law partners.
Correction
Updated Dec. 2 to correctly state that Gustafson owes $1.3 million to his law partners.
