Opinion ID: 2514455
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: summarized factual findings

Text: In 1997, the respondent was convicted by a jury in federal district court in Illinois of conspiracy to commit income tax fraud. Highly summarized, the conviction was based on evidence that the respondent conspired with a client to hide over $700,000 of the client's income from the IRS over a period of years. The client forwarded his business income to the respondent, who hid it in a trust account. The respondent regularly withdrew cash from the account and gave the money to the client as well as made purchases for the client. The 7th Circuit opinion provides extensive details as to the respondent's deep involvement in the criminal activity. The final hearing report herein contains a lengthy cite from the opinion. United States v. Minneman, 143 F.3d 274, 277 (7th Cir.1998). The respondent was sentenced to 30 months in prison and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $25,000. The respondent appealed his conviction, and the Seventh Circuit affirmed his conviction in 1998. See United States v. Minneman, 143 F.3d 274. Thereafter, disciplinary proceedings were commenced in Illinois. After a hearing, the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission hearing panel found the respondent: (1) committed a criminal act that reflected adversely on his honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer in violation of Rule 8.4(a)(3) of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct; (2) engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, in violation of Rule 8.4(a)(4); and (3) engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, or which tends to defeat the administration of justice, or to bring the courts or the legal profession into disrepute, in violation of Rule 8.4(a)(5). The Illinois hearing panel recommended the respondent be disbarred and, on March 22, 2001, the Illinois Supreme Court disbarred the respondent. The respondent did not report his conviction or disbarment to the disciplinary authorities in Kansas. However, in 1997, after his conviction, the respondent registered in Kansas as an inactive attorney. He continued to register as an inactive attorney each year thereafter, up to and including 2007-2008 registration period. The Kansas Disciplinary Administrator learned of the respondent's federal conviction and Illinois disbarment in November 2006. The Disciplinary Administrator wrote to the respondent and in his response, the respondent admitted that he probably should have notified the Kansas Disciplinary Administrator of his conviction instead of taking inactive status. On August 2, 2007, the Disciplinary Administrator's Office filed a formal complaint against the respondent. The complaint was brought, in part, as a reciprocal discipline case under Supreme Court Rule 202 (2007 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 257) (final adjudication of misconduct in another jurisdiction conclusively establishes the misconduct for purposes of a disciplinary proceeding in this state). Additionally, the formal complaint alleged that by failing to notify Kansas disciplinary authorities of his conviction and disbarment, respondent violated KRPC 8.3(a); and Kansas Supreme Court Rule 207(c). The respondent filed a timely answer to the formal complaint. In his answer, the respondent admitted his conviction and that he had been disbarred in Illinois. A hearing was held before a panel of the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys on November 15, 2007. The respondent appeared pro se. At the hearing, the Deputy Disciplinary Administrator offered for admission various documents, including a copy of the Seventh Circuit's reported opinion in United States v. Minneman, 143 F.3d 274 (7th Cir.1998); a copy of the electronic criminal case docket for the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois showing the judgment of conviction; the report of the Hearing Board of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission finding misconduct and recommending disbarment; the Illinois Supreme Court order disbarring respondent; and the 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007 Kansas attorney registration forms completed and submitted by the respondent. These documents were admitted into evidence. At the hearing, the respondent again admitted his Illinois disbarment. The respondent testified that he went on inactive status in Kansas in 1997, after his conviction in January 1997. Prior to his conviction, he had been on active status in Kansas. The respondent admitted he reported neither his conviction nor his Illinois disbarment to the Kansas Disciplinary Administrator's office, explaining that he assumed Kansas was aware of these actions. The respondent also admitted that he listed his Illinois bar admission in the box entitled Member of the Bar in Other States on the Kansas attorney registration forms in 2005, 2006, and 2007.