Christopher Reese, who is not a licensed lawyer but posed as one to defraud inmates and their families, has been sentenced to 16.5 years in prison, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton announced. According to a press release, Reese operated under the alias "Christopher Eugene Thomas" and took substantial amounts of money from victims under the guise of legal assistance. His services included drafting and filing motions in federal courts, which were mostly denied.
Reese’s scheme took advantage of individuals seeking justice, preying on their trust by making promises he had no authority or ability to fulfill. The sentence includes 15 years for his crimes at trial in March and an additional 18 months for violating terms of supervised release from a prior case, as imposed by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni. Jay Clayton warned the public against independents providing unauthorized legal services. "Today’s substantial sentence is a clear reminder: the fraudulent and unauthorized practice of law is a crime," Clayton stated in the press release.
Over the years, Reese misrepresented himself as a "legal assistant" or "paralegal" but worked without the oversight of any licensed attorney. He exploited the desperate circumstances of federal inmates and their loved ones, falsely assuring them of favorable case outcomes and refunds on failure, which he never honored. His victims were left financially drained, with their cases no further advanced than they were before Reese’s involvement, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Reese submitted filings under the "pro se" designation, making them appear as though they were written by the inmates themselves to conceal his involvement from the courts. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, his clients lost more than $1 million as a result of the scheme, money he later laundered with the help of a co-conspirator to avoid detection and repay restitution from prior offenses. In addition to his prison sentence, a $1 million forfeiture judgment was imposed on Reese, 57, of East Meadow, New York.
Mr. Clayton acknowledged the hard work of Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York for their thorough investigation. The prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josiah Pertz, Kingdar Prussien, and James McMahon from the Office's White Plains Division. Following his prison term, Reese will also be subject to three years of supervised release.
