Iowa Attorney Charged with Felonies for Allegedly Over-Billing

According to the ABA Journal, an Iowa attorney is charged with felony counts of theft and fraudulent practice for allegedly obtaining nearly $178,000 in overpayments for his work as a contract attorney for the Iowa Public Defender.

An audit concluded that the lawyer claimed to have worked more than 24 hours on 80 different dates between 2007 and 2011.  Four other contract lawyers also were identified in the audit as having over-billed and, as a result, were terminated from the program.

According to the ABA Journal, the Iowa State Bar Association President has called the audit findings “an isolated aberration, involving five lawyers,” adding that “a few bad apples do not spoil the barrel.”  The Bar President stated that “any abuses of the program… need to be promptly corrected.”

For more information on Professional Liability Matters, contact Attorney Simon Brown at 603.410.1500 or a member of Preti Flaherty's Professional Liability Group.