Lawyer Disbarred for Verbal Aggression to Pay $9.8M Fine for Hiding Cash Overseas
A one-time New York lawyer disbarred for screams, threats and disparaging remarks against judges and adversaries has pleaded guilty to tax evasion for hiding more than $26 million in a Swiss bank account.
Kenneth Heller, 81, agreed to pay a $9.8 million fine, according to Reuters, Bloomberg and the New York Post. Heller was once dubbed the state’s “most obnoxious lawyer” and had a nickname of “Kenneth Yeller.”
Heller told the court he suffered from memory loss, bad hearing and cancer he blamed on lifting an atomic bomb “with my bare hands” during World War II, the Post story says.
Prosecutor David Massey said the government agrees that a prison sentence below the sentencing guidelines is warranted because of concerns about Heller’s mental and physical health, according to the Post. The guidelines call for 30 to 37 months in prison, Bloomberg says.
