Illinois Supreme Court Sanctions Two Wheaton Attorneys

The Illinois Supreme Court disciplined two Wheaton attorneys for ethics violations and professional misconduct.

The rulings were handed down by the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission on Sept. 12. The ARDC is the administrative agency that assists the state Supreme Court in regulating Illinois attorneys through registration, education, investigation, prosecution and remedial action.

Brian P. Lee, 44, of Wheaton, was disbarred by consent, after he filed a motion to have his name removed from the roster of attorneys. Lee was admitted to the Illinois Bar Association in 1998 and practiced law at 2100 Manchester Road, Suite 1750, in Wheaton, according to Internet records.

In February, Lee admitted to swindling an elderly couple in San Diego County, CA, of more than $1 million from accounts he opened on their behalf, the FBI charged.

Lee pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud before a federal magistrate judge stemming from a criminal scheme that began in 2004, when a San Diego couple hired him to create trusts and corporations on their behalf, according to federal charges.

Between 2004 and 2012, court documents said that Lee controlled bank accounts that he opened in the name of various entities. He admitted to making unauthorized transfers of the couple’s funds, through interstate transactions, into other bank accounts over which he had exclusive control.

The FBI charged that Lee systematically withdrew funds for his personal use from various accounts, including one that he set up as a trust for the couple’s grandchildren. He was eventually able to siphon more than $1 million from the couple.

Lee faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. He is expected to be sentenced in July 2015, the Daily Herald reported.

The Wheaton attorney is no longer authorized to practice law and may not return to practicing law, unless Lee has demonstrated his rehabilitation three years after the effective date of his voluntarily disbarment.

Thomas McGrath O’Connor, was licensed in 1999 and practiced law out of 1776 South Naperville Road in Wheaton. He voluntarily consented to a two-year suspension while he undergoes treatment for alcohol abuse, according to the disciplinary action.

O’Connor is also required to attend at least three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week, submit to random drug testing, and must abstain from alcohol and unprescribed medications during the probationary period.

In total, the Illinois Supreme Court disbarred nine lawyers, including two Chicago-area attorneys who were convicted and are currently serving 15-year prison terms in separate criminal schemes last Friday. In addition, 15 attorneys were suspended, including a downstate lawyer who made improper and racially based arguments during a criminal trial, the Cook County Record reported.