Avon Lake attorney placed on interim default suspension after felony conviction

A Lorain County lawyer has been placed on suspension after admitting to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to Ohio Supreme Court documents filed Dec. 18, attorney Gregory Keith Klima, 53, of Avon Lake, was put on interim default suspension after failing to respond to a July 31 complaint from the high court’s Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline.

The investigation into Klima began July 2, 2013, after a complaint was forwarded to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio charging Klima and Timothy Grodzik, 53, of Columbia Station, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Klima, president, and Grodzik, vice president of their Westlake real estate business Title Access LLC, were suspected of defrauding 27 companies and clients out of more than $290,000 between December 2009 and February 2011, according to Steven Dettlebach, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

On Oct. 25, Klima pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was sentenced Dec. 3 to 18 months in prison and three years of probation once released.

Grodzik received 15 months in prison and three years of probation after his release.

U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Gaughan also ordered Klima and Grodzik to pay $290,484 in restitution to the 27 individuals and companies that they swindled.

Although Klima managed to reach restitution agreements with some of the entities he defrauded, to date, no payments have been made to the parties, the complaint states.

One month after Klima pleaded guilty, he was suspended from practicing law for failure to comply with attorney registration requirements.

On March 24, the Supreme Court also suspended Klima’s law license because of his felony conviction.

Klima began practicing law in November 1986.