Denver lawyer pleads guilty to $20M scam
A 63-year-old Denver attorney pleaded guilty in New Haven, Conn., for her role in a securities fraud scheme that bilked investors out of $20 million and sent a former Hartford city councilman to jail.
Diane Dalmy on Tuesday pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, according to John Durham, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut. Her sentencing is scheduled in May. She faces up to five years in prison.
The defendants in the scheme — with ties to Florida, Colorado and New Hampshire — include former Hartford councilman Corey Brinson, who is serving a three-year sentence at a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pa., according to federal prison records.
Dalmy had a prior run-in with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after issuing a positive opinion letter about a shell corporation. On July 29, 2016, she was permanently disqualified from appearing or practicing law before the SEC, according to federal documents.
In the latest case, Dalmy allegedly laundered about $825,000 from the “pump-and-dump” stock scheme through Queen Asia’s bank accounts and her attorney accounts. Between 2009 and 2016, Dalmy did securities-related legal work for several companies including Strategic Asset Leasing Inc. and Fox Petroleum Inc. Dalmy earned about $30,000 in the scheme.
Dalmy acted largely under the direction of William Lieberman of Boca Raton, Fla., a news release says. Lieber-
man and others induced investors to buy securities in shell companies — some with virtually no legitimate business activities — with false and misleading claims. When investors drove the price up, the defendants dumped their large positions in the stock.
“They then ended the promotion and allowed the share price to plummet, leaving investors holding worthless and unsalable stock,” the news release says.
Dalmy ghost-wrote fraudulent opinion letters about the companies including “adequacy” letters. She sometimes used money from client accounts to front conspiracy activities.
Six other conspirators, including Lieberman, have been convicted and have either been sentenced or await sentencing, the news release says.