A disgraced former Georgia attorney has been slapped with a federal prison sentence for pilfering over $3 million from his clients, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. Matthew Allen Dickason, who was previously licensed to practice in the Peach State, was condemned to 27 months behind bars followed by three years of supervised release, after admitting to the hefty embezzlement, which he spent on personal indulgences.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan didn't mince words, stating, "Dickason engaged in a long-running and shameful practice of abusing the trust placed in him by his clients, and will now serve a prison sentence as a result of his crimes." Buchanan's comments, as per a press release, highlight the betrayal Dickason's actions represent to those who sought his legal counsel. To sustain his lavish lifestyle, he concocted phony accounting records to mask his deception.
Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, shared that Dickason, instead of honoring his oath as a lawyer, abused his position to defraud his clients. "Hopefully, this sentence sends the message that the FBI will doggedly work to protect American citizens and the real estate market from predators who drag down our economy by deception for their own personal gain," Farley said.
Dickason, now 48 and residing in Wellington, Ohio, initially ran a law firm in Atlanta, specializing in real estate law, and was involved in numerous sales transactions totaling tens of millions of dollars. However, instead of fulfilling his fiduciary duties, he redirected client funds to his own pockets, and to his mortgage-closing company, said Edwin Bonano, Special Agent-in-Charge of FHFA-OIG's Southeast Region. "Today, justice was served. We are proud to have worked alongside our partner agencies on this case to arrive at today's conclusion." Bonano's statement makes clear the gravity of the offense, and the concerted effort of various agencies to bring Dickason to account.
The convicted lawyer has also been ordered to cough up restitution in the tune of $3,005,159.19, a sum that faintly echoes the trust he shattered. His ploy, which involved shuffling client funds to cover personal and other clients' expenses, was unveiled after years of deceit. Tyrone Hardy, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Southeast Region, condemned Dickason's actions, because they "violated that trust and put many taxpayer-insured FHA mortgages at risk of default." Hardy hopes the sentence will serve as a deterrent to others contemplating such wrongdoing.
This case was brought to a close through the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency-Office of Inspector General, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Phillips prosecuting. For more details on the case, the public can reach the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia through their website or their Public Affairs Office.
