Criminal Justice
Tax Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Hide Client’s Plundered Cash
A prominent tax lawyer from Columbia, S.C., has pleaded guilty in a conspiracy to launder and hide a client’s embezzled money.
John Fitzgerald O’Connor Jr., 63, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering, according to the State and WISTV.com. He faces up to five years in prison.
Prosecutors say O’Connor helped client William Trier hide millions of dollars he had embezzled from a vending machine company where he worked. Another lawyer charged in the case, 63-year-old John Harte of Aiken, S.C., pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laudering in September. Harte’s plea agreement calls for a one-year sentence, the Aiken Standard reported at the time.
