Longtime Washington Lawyer Admits Embezzling More Than $1M
A longtime Whidbey Island, Wash., lawyer has admitted embezzling more than $1 million of his clients’ money.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Portland, Ore., said 63-year-old Peter Allen Moote pleaded guilty Monday in Seattle to one count of mail fraud. He faces a maximum 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine at sentencing set for June 22. Moote also agreed to pay restitution to his victims, in an amount to be determined at sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall says the lawyer represented clients in personal injury, sexual harassment, discrimination and other cases, negotiating settlements for many of them and receiving their settlement checks. Moote admitted he used the embezzled money for his own expenses and for gambling, among other things.
He resigned from the Washington State Bar in November 2010.
- Wall Street Watchdogs Pause Some Cyber Exams After Mythos Shock
- CommScope Sued by Lenders for at Least $150 Million Over Alleged Breach
- JPMorgan Banker Sues Ex-Colleague Over ‘Fabricated’ Sex Claims
- Iran Starts Bitcoin-Backed Ship Insurance for Hormuz Strait
- Florida Woman Drives Elevated Pickup Over Lamborghini Sports Car in Parking Lot
- The Adjuster’s Year Ahead: What AI Will and Won’t Change About the Job
- ‘Big Tobacco’ Moment for Cannabis: What Insurers Need to Know About Murray v. Cresco
- Bayer Banking on US Supreme Court’s Help to Rein in Roundup Lawsuits