Visiting Judge Dennis J. Langer sent sentencing for Nov. 15. Langer was appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court to hear the case after all seven Butler County common pleas judges recused themselves.
Adams faces a maximum of 24 months in jail. He remains free on his own recognizance. Adams has made or will make restitution in both cases of more than $13,000.
His license to practice law is under suspension after he failed to respond to a four-part formal disciplinary complaint against him filed by clients in September 2022. The board of professional conduct has recommended permanent disbarment. The Supreme Court makes the final ruling.
Adams was admitted to the bar to practice law in Ohio in 1997, according to Ohio Supreme Court records. In addition to a private practice, Adams served as a Butler County public defender for 12 years.
The theft by deception charge involves Adams’ use of client money received in a court settlement for personal use.
From June 2017 to October 2020, Adams spent $12,492.67 worth of settlement funds that were supposed to be remitted to his client, according to court documents. Some of the purchases made by Adams included Delta vacations, plane tickets, expenses at a local veterinary clinic, sporting goods and use at Disney World, according to court records.
“Lawyers have what are called ‘client trust accounts,’ and when they are representing in civil cases in which money comes to clients, it passes through the hands of an attorney representing the client going into the trust account for distribution,” said Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser. “The attorney has a fiduciary responsibility to maintain that client trust account and not make any improper disbursement.”
The second case in which Adams admitted guilt to a bill of information, therefore bypassing the indictment process, involved a client in a criminal case. Adams spent money entrusted to him by his client that should have been used to pay restitution through the adult probation department, according to prosecutors.
From July 8, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2021, Adams used $1,100 given to him by a client for restitution to be placed in a client trust account then paid to adult probation.
Adams personally used the cash not making the payment to adult probation and, “as a result, (the man’s) probation was terminated unsuccessfully.”
That situation has been corrected after Adams made restitution for the theft and the client was able to pay off what he owed and successfully completed probation, according to prosecutors.
“He (Adams’ client) had been terminated from probation with a mark on him as a result of what a thief had done to him,” Gmoser said. “I pushed very hard to clean that up as quickly as humanly possible. His probation has been terminated successfully now,” Gmoser said.
Adams and attorney David Washington had no comment.
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