Lawyer Indicted for Extorting $1M From Clients

[Hum]

Richard J. Breibart, an attorney in Lexington, S.C., for 33 years, specialized in litigating high-profile criminal and civil cases. A once prominent member of the community, he was known for throwing lavish Christmas parties for hundreds of people, according to The State newspaper.

But now, Breibart faces a 10-count federal indictment for extortion and fraud, and a maximum of 20 years in prison on each count.

The saga has been a bizarre one, especially for an attorney who once presided over a 14,000-square-foot office and employed about two dozen lawyers.

But in recent years, according to the federal indictment, Breibart started using his formidable legal talents to get people to pay him enormous sums of money so he could make charges or investigations against them go away. But the twist? There never were any charges or investigations against these people. The cases were fake.

According to The State, in late May Breibart told his staff via email that they wouldn't be getting their paychecks on the fifth day of the month, as they usually did.

"The finances of the firm are such that we will not be able to cover payroll at this time," Breibart told his staff of lawyers, paralegals and secretaries, according to The State.

Breibart subsequently shut down his office and website without telling his employees why. On June 1, the state Supreme Court placed Breibart, 61, on an interim suspension, and also appointed a trustee, Mark Barrow, to take charge of Breibart's mail, files, client accounts and bank accounts.

He told clients that they faced IRS penalties and possible criminal charges, but that he would handle the cases himself and keep the matters private and sealed if they paid him specified amounts of money.

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[Growled Member]

He had it all (from most of our points of view) but he got greedy and wanted more. It seems people can never be satisfied with what they have, but always want more.