Bloomberg report…..An Ohio lawyer found to have taken cash as part of a plan to help a woman leave town so she wouldn’t have to testify against one of his clients was indefinitely suspended by the state’s highest court.
Jared Lee Wilson “committed a felony with the intent to thwart or hamper the prosecution of a felony domestic-violence case and committed a series of ethical violations involving six other clients—some of which predated his criminal conduct,” the Ohio Supreme Court said.
Wilson pleaded guilty to telecommunications fraud in 2017 and was sentenced to a year of community control, according to the court. The case was related to an incident involving a client who’d been arrested for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend, who had worked for Wilson.
The woman at one point asked Wilson how she could ensure that her boyfriend didn’t go to prison. “Wilson told her to recant her police statement and dodge any subpoena by leaving town,” the court said.
The client called Wilson on a recorded line and asked him about the cost for Wilson’s help in making that happen, the court said. After his arrest for accepting payment, Wilson told police the cash was for attorney fees, the court said.
The court’s professional conduct board found that Wilson’s actions violated an ethics rule prohibiting committing illegal acts, dishonesty, and engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, the court said.
