Lost case was alleged motive for ex-prosecutor who pleaded guilty to soliciting murder of lawyer
Corrected: A former prosecutor in Michigan who was on the hook for a $314,000 judgment has pleaded guilty to soliciting the murder of the lawyer who won the case.
Clarence Gomery of Traverse City, Michigan, pleaded guilty last week, report the Traverse City Record-Eagle, UpNorthLive.com and MLive.com. He was accused of offering to pay $20,000 for the murder of lawyer Christopher Cooke, who successfully represented a former business partner of Gomery’s, Fred Topous Jr.
Topous, a one-time Gomery client and $57 million lottery winner, had alleged Gomery fabricated documents that would have given him a half interest in their golf course venture, according to prior coverage by MLive.com.
Gomery had sought Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection, but a bankruptcy judge ruled in January that Gomery had failed to disclose assets, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported. The judge converted the case to a Chapter 7 liquidation.
Gomery admitted in court that he solicited the murder, according to the account by UpNorthLive.com. “I was absolutely wrong. My life was falling apart,” said Gomery.
As part of the plea deal with Gomery, prosecutors agreed to drop a charge of possession of a firearm with unlawful intent.
Gomery had worked as an assistant prosecutor in Grand Traverse County in the early 1990s and as Leelanau County Prosecutor from 1997 to 2000.
Related article:
ABAJournal.com: “Ex-prosecutor accused of soliciting lawyer’s murder, jailed in lieu of $5M bond”
Corrected on Feb. 11 to state that Fred Topous Jr. was the former client of Gomery’s who alleged he fabricated documents in a golf course venture. Also corrected to state that Gomery had worked as an assistant prosecutor in Grand Traverse County.
