Summary: An attorney from the Boston area used client funds for personal use, failed to report income, and failed to pay his taxes, costing him up to three years in prison.
With a potential three year prison sentence looming, Dracut, Massachusetts attorney John F. Paczkowski, 73, pleaded guilty to tax fraud. Paczkowski went before the U.S. District Court with two counts of filing false tax returns and failing to pay taxes.
Paczkowski operated a law firm in Dracut, which he used to embezzle and misappropriate $630,000 in funds entrusted to him by clients. He was the sole practitioner of the law firm. The U.S. District Attorney’s Office also claims that he failed to pay over $192,000 in federal taxes.
He claims he used some of the money for personal expenses as well as failed to report the income on his 2009 and 2010 tax returns. He will be sentenced in February. In addition to three years in prison, Paczkowski could be given one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Do you think attorneys should be able to handle their clients’ money so freely? Tell us in the comments below.
To read more about other bad lawyers that got caught by the law, see these articles:
- Father and Son Lawyers Arrested for Raping Young Girl
- Scottish Lawyer Loses License for Overcharging Clients
- Texas Lawyer Accused of Sending Inappropriate Texts
Photo: flickr.com
