New York has been dealing with a lack of public defenders – low wages and tough cases are a recipe for burn out. It just doesn’t pay like it used to. If you want folks to represent those in need, you have to pay people to fight the good fight. That bears repeating for court-appointed lawyers who keep getting their checks stolen from them. The ABA Journal has coverage:
Six people have been charged with depositing stolen checks intended to pay court-appointed lawyers representing indigent defendants in federal cases in New York.
The charges are part of an ongoing investigation into “the widespread theft and depositing of checks” issued to people involved in the criminal justice system, according to a Feb. 7 press release by U.S. Attorney Breon Peace of the Eastern District of New York.
Of all the people to rob you pick somebody hand-selected by a court? Really? Assuming the thieves ultimately get appointed counsel, it would suck if they are assigned one of the people that they stole from. If you’re gonna be out here committing wire fraud, leave the people trying to keep your ass out of jail alone. Maybe try a bank instead? By the way, this is not legal advice.
Court-Appointed Lawyers Are Victims Of Stolen Check Schemes, Prosecutors Say; 6 People Charged [ABA Journal]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.