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Judge Tells Lawyer...
Judge Philip Kirk of Waupaca County sentenced a Wisconsin Attorney Michael Petersen to five days in jail and a year of probation for contempt of court.
The contempt action stems from Petersen’s deception of his clients during his work as a criminal attorney. It is difficult to discern what the most shocking part of this story indeed is.
Why? Just. Why?
Petersen was accused of lying about plea deals by a DUI client and a client accused of armed robbery. One of Petersen’s former clients alleges that Petersen provided him documentation when he signed his plea agreement that would indicate his felony drunk driving conviction would be downgraded to a misdemeanor should the Defendant comply with all of the probation requirements.
When Petersen’s former client noticed that stipulation was nowhere to be found in the final orders and confronted Petersen about it, it is alleged that Petersen provided a phony pleading with a forged judge’s signature on it to try to continue to deceive his client.
I’ve Seen Lawyers Disbarred for Much Less
Don’t worry people, this attorney appears to currently be suspended from the practice of law. But when the judge sentenced him, he said, “I want you to have as much business as a pimp in a nursing home.” The creative judge’s order included requiring the disgraced attorney to send all of his clients the following message while on probation:
“I am a crook. I am a cheat. I am a thief. I am a liar. I was convicted of a crime on November 9th, 2015. My conviction resulted from my intentional choice to sell my own clients down the river and then trying to cover it up. You may not hire me or have me legally represent you in any fashion until you read the Criminal Complaint and Judgment of Conviction in my Outagamie County, Wisconsin Case No. 15-CM878. This disclosure is required as one of the conditions of my probation.”
This story was so outlandish, we just had to share it with you all. Click here to be directed to the ABA Journal to catch all of the crazy details of this drama.
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About the Author
Valentina Zapata Harris
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