Christopher Reese Sentenced To 16.5 Years For Unlicensed Legal Services Scheme

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that CHRISTOPHER REESE, a/k/a "Christopher Eugene Thomas," was sentenced today to 16.5 years in prison for crimes related to running a bogus legal services business, which defrauded numerous inmates and their family members. REESE, a nine-time convicted felon who is not a lawyer, deceived his victims into paying him to perform unlicensed legal services for them, including drafting and filing motions in federal courts. Despite REESE's repeated promises to get inmates out of prison in exchange for money, courts overwhelmingly denied his motions, while REESE kept the money. REESE was sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with his criminal convictions at trial in March of this year, and an additional 18 months for violating the terms of his supervised release in connection with a prior case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni.

"Christopher Reese conned vulnerable people by promising them outcomes in legal cases that he could not deliver and tried to manipulate the federal courts to further his scheme," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. "Today's substantial sentence is a clear reminder: the fraudulent and unauthorized practice of law is a crime. The public should be on guard against so-called 'independent paralegals' or 'legal assistants' selling services that only licensed lawyers can provide, without supervision by a licensed lawyer. Unlicensed practitioners may seem like a bargain, but often leave their clients in far worse circumstances."

According to the Indictment and the evidence at trial:

For years, REESE ran a scam targeting federal inmates, their family members, and friends. To carry out his fraud scheme, REESE promised favorable results in criminal cases that he could not actually obtain, rendering legal services he was not authorized to provide in exchange for hefty fees. REESE styled himself as a "legal assistant" or "paralegal," but worked without the supervision of a licensed lawyer and offered services that only a lawyer is authorized to provide, including drafting and submitting legal filings in federal courts. REESE induced prisoners and their family members to pay him by promising beneficial outcomes that he could not guarantee, while knowing-but failing to disclose-that his unlicensed legal practice was illegal.

REESE promised, for example, that defendants would be "immediately released" based on motions he would file in exchange for fees in the thousands of dollars. Sometimes REESE also offered to provide a refund if his motions were unsuccessful; but when they failed, REESE kept the money. When his fraud succeeded, and inmates or their family members paid REESE his fees, REESE engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, by making a business of drafting and filing legal motions and briefs in federal cases, including cases heard by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit at 40 Foley Square in Manhattan, a federal enclave where New York State's prohibition on the unauthorized practice of law applies via the Assimilative Crimes Act. To hide his involvement from the courts, REESE wrote the inmate's name in the signature block of each filing and falsely labeled it as "pro se," i.e., written by the inmate.

REESE earned over a million dollars from this scheme, and REESE committed additional crimes in connection with these fraud proceeds. First, REESE was on supervised release in connection with a separate federal criminal case in this District during most of the scheme. In connection with his supervision, and in order to avoid paying criminal restitution that he owed, REESE made false statements to the U.S. Probation Office. Second, REESE laundered the proceeds of his scheme by using a co-conspirator to engage in financial transactions designed to conceal the source and movement of the fees REESE collected from his victims.

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In addition to the prison term, REESE, 57, of East Meadow, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. The district court also imposed a forfeiture judgment of $1 million.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

The case was prosecuted through the Office's White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josiah Pertz, Kingdar Prussien, and James McMahon are in charge of the prosecution.