Former Nevada Lawyer Lawrence Davidson Sentenced to Prison
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 10, 2012 |
LAS VEGAS—A former Las Vegas lawyer convicted of stealing personal injury settlements from clients, making false statements to obtain a passport, identity theft, and fleeing to Israel to avoid prosecution was sentenced today to 105 months in prison and ordered to pay $936,300 in restitution, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Lawrence J. Davidson, 45, who pleaded guilty in May to a number of felony charges in three separate criminal cases, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Roger L. Hunt. In Case No. 2:05-CR-439, Davidson pleaded guilty to 20 counts of mail fraud and four counts of money laundering. In Case No. 2:08-CR-162, Davidson pleaded guilty to making a false statement in an application for a passport, aggravated identity theft, and two counts of willfully failing to appear at court hearings, including trial. And, in Case No. 2:04-CR-457, Davidson pleaded guilty to violating his supervised release by failing to notify the probation office of a change of address.
In 2004, Davidson used another person’s identity to obtain a United States passport. In June 2005, Davidson was sentenced to six months in jail and three years of supervised release for forging a federal judge’s signature in a federal bankruptcy case. In November 2005, Davidson was charged with mail fraud and money laundering for negotiating personal injury and medical malpractice settlements from May 2003 to September 2004 without the authorization of his clients and using the settlement money for his own personal benefit. On February 26, 2006, Davidson started his supervised release in the case involving his conviction for forging a federal judge’s signature, but on September 14, 2006, Davidson quit his job and fled to Israel to avoid prosecution on charges that he was stealing his clients’ settlement monies. Having fled, Davidson failed to appear at a required federal court calendar call hearing in the fraud case on October 25, 2006, and also failed to appear at trial on October 30, 2006. According to Davidson’s plea agreement, he defrauded at least 14 clients of over $930,000.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Schiess.