A Kentucky lawyer, Andrew Clooney, and his wife, Christel Clooney, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and failure to pay taxes.
Clooney was a personal injury attorney through the Clooney Law Office, and his wife was the office manager. From 2016 to 2018 the Clooneys used funds that belonged to their clients for personal use.
Clooney settled cases for a dozen clients worth more than $400,000, but when the payments came in he failed to tell his clients, and he and his wife pocketed the money. Alex White, an attorney for many of Clooney’s victims, stated that, “Clooney targeted people with poor English skills so their complaints wouldn’t be believed, or chalked up to a misunderstanding.”
The Clooneys also failed to file a tax return in 2016 despite earning approximately $426,098 in income and owing approximately $106,140 in federal income taxes.
The Clooneys each face a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison, as well as restitution.