Convicted in Trial Over Claimed Siphoning of $60M from Astor Estate, Lawyer Is Disbarred
Convicted in a high-profile criminal estate-fraud case last year, New York lawyer Francis Morrissey Jr. was disbarred today.
Rejecting his lawyer’s request to wait to see what happens with Morrissey’s appeal of his conviction for forgery and scheming to defraud heiress Brooke Astor of some $60 million allegedly siphoned from her $200 million estate, a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of New York Supreme Court today ordered Morrissey’s name struck from the roll of attorneys, reports the New York Post. The action will be retroactive to Oct. 8, 2009, the date of his conviction.
With the help of Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, Morrissey “looted [her] estate during the period from approximately 2001 to 2007, when her mental capacity was diminished,” the panel says in a three-page ruling.
The newspaper doesn’t include any comment from Morrissey or his lawyer. He was sentenced to a one- to three-year prison term for his role in the Astor estate fraud.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Brooke Astor’s Son & Lawyer are Found Guilty in $60M Estate Fraud Case”
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer Led Astor’s Son Astray in $60M Fraud Says Ex-Jury Holdout (a Lawyer)”
ABAJournal.com: “Brooke Astor’s Son Sentenced to Up to Three Years in Prison”
CNN: “Brooke Astor’s son sentenced to prison “
