Defense lawyer convicted in scheme to bilk his clients
A federal jury has convicted a Houston criminal defense attorney who was accused of duping alleged drug traffickers and health-care fraud defendants into believing they could get their criminal charges dismissed in exchange for paying millions of dollars for special legal help and bribes.
Late Wednesday, jurors in Houston decided that 56-year-old Abraham Moses Fisch was guilty on more than a dozen counts that included conspiracy, obstruction of justice, money laundering, and failure to file tax returns. His sentence could leave him behind bars for the rest of his life.
The verdicts followed a 15-day trial, held intermittently since jury selection in late April, and about 14 hours of deliberations.
Wife acquitted
Fisch’s wife, Malkah “Monica” Bertman — who was charged with one conspiracy count and an obstruction of justice charge — was acquitted.
Lloyd Glen Williams, a 71-year-old former used car financier in Houston, pleaded guilty in 2011 to conspiring to obstruct justice and to filing a false tax return.
This year, he asked the court to withdraw his admission of guilt, but U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal has denied that request.
The Fisch-Williams scam “undermined the functioning of the federal justice system by misleading defendants about the nature of the cooperation process with the government,” according to a news release from Ken Magidson, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.
“It also interfered with plea negotiations with the government by preventing defendants from timely entering guilty pleas because of the mistaken belief their case was going to be dismissed,” he said.
Evidence at trial showed that Fisch and Williams ran a scheme to bilk defendants in at least four different Houston federal cases dating back to 2006.
The men facing charges — as well as their wives and associates — testified that Fisch and Williams told them that in return for exorbitant fees, Williams would pay off his alleged government contacts in Washington to obtain dismissals of the criminal cases.
Those contacts were supposedly operatives at the Central Intelligence Agency, FBI, Justice Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The pair also insisted that defendants keep these deals secret from the court and other attorneys.
In reality, no officials were paid and no cases were dismissed. Fisch and Williams simply split the fees.
Criminals victimized
Drug trafficker Edilberto Portillo and his wife paid Fisch $1.1 million to obtain dismissals of their charges. Williams received $700,000 of that fee.
Umawa Oke Imo, a defendant in a complex health-care fraud case, testified that Fisch and Williams quoted him a $3 million payoff in order to obtain a dismissal.
Fisch has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing since his arrest in 2011.
During testimony last week, Fisch told jurors that he made money as a defense lawyer by connecting with people likely to have a lot of business: high-level drug dealers and club owners.
“I’m a criminal defense attorney, OK?” Fisch said.