Ex-lawyer gets weekend jail time for collecting $247K in disability payments while still practicing
A former New York bankruptcy lawyer who admittedly collected more than $247,000 in Social Security disability payments over a seven-year period, while continuing to practice law, has been sentenced to weekend jail time.
Christopher Chadick, 63, was sentenced Thursday to six months of weekend jail time, from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Sunday, and five years of probation by a federal judge in Syracuse. He and his lawyer said he has Cushing’s disease and major depression, which were the basis for his disability payments and made it difficult for him to work, according to Syracuse.com.
“I can’t begin to express how sad I am that any of this happened,” Chadick told U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby. “But because of Cushing’s disease, I’m just not the man that I once was, and I never will be again, and I know that.”
Suddaby said Chadick’s fraud discredits the legal profession, but gave him a lighter sentence than the 15 to 21 months recommended by sentencing guidelines so he can find work and start paying restitution, the article reports.
He will owe either 10 percent of his gross income or $100 a month to the Social Security Administration, whichever is higher, she said. His $1,672-per-month Social Security retirement benefits will also be applied to his restitution.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Disbarred lawyer admits collecting $247K in disability benefits while still in practice”
