Convicted of Money Laundering, Lawyer Victimized in $300K Bad Check Scam Is Now Disbarred
Things have apparently gone from bad to worse for a Saipan lawyer who reportedly fell victim to an international fraud scheme operated from Hong Kong that targeted lawyers.
Charged with money-laundering in U.S. District Court in Guam after he withdrew nearly $185,000 credited to his account from what turned out to be a fake cashier’s check, Danilo T. Aguilar pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to five years of probation and required to make restitution.
Now he has been ordered disbarred by a superior court judge in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, who found that Aguilar, in addition to having been convicted of a felony, had abandoned his Saipan law practice, reports the Saipan Tribune.
The CNMI judge ordered Aguilar to make restitution to a number of clients for unearned legal fees.
The Supreme Court of Hawaii issued an order (PDF) disbarring Aguilar in March of this year. It noted that he had been suspended in Guam in September 2010.
The article doesn’t include any comment from him or his counsel.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer Victimized in $300K Check Fraud Is Charged with Money-Laundering”
