Austin Lawyer Headed to Prison for Aiding Stock Scammer
A federal judge in Houston sentenced an Austin attorney to 17 years in prison for harboring and concealing his client who was a fugitive in Mexico and for conspiring to commit wire fraud in the client’s stock sale scam, reports The Houston Chronicle.
Patrick Lanier, 67, represented Harris Dempsey “Butch” Ballow, of Tiki Island in Galveston County, during proceedings before the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2004 and during the criminal case that led to Ballow to flee the country. The report says Ballow was indicted in 2003 on fraud and money laundering charges stemming from misrepresentations he made in connection with the sale of stock, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“A jury convicted Lanier on 16 counts in February 2014 for helping sell shares of stock purchased by Ballow’s corporation while Ballow was on the run,” according to the report.
