Fla. Lawyer Pleads Guilty in $2.6 Million Embezzlement Scheme
A South Florida lawyer and forensic accountant who authorities say has stolen millions as many as 250 of his clients pleaded guilty to a mail fraud conspiracy charge in Miami federal court today.
Freeman, who is 60 years old, faces a maximum term of 20 years in prison, the Miami Herald reports. Sentencing is set for May 19.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami says he misappropriated at least $6 million from from his firm’s operating account—$2.6 million of which was not recovered.
Freeman was charged last month with mail fraud conspiracy. The FBI raided the Miami and Plantation offices of Lewis B. Freeman & Partners in October, and Freeman announced the firm’s dissolution a week later.
The Herald says two other employees of his former firm are also expected to be charged.
“Lew Freeman made serious mistakes in the way he ran his business. Last year, he began to take steps to correct those mistakes,” Freeman’s defense lawyers, Robert Josefsberg and Joseph DeMaria, said in a statement.
They also said Freeman will surrender his law license, South Florida Business Journal reported.
