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Press Release

Former Norman Attorney Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Clients and Failing to File a Tax Return

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Today, DANE THOMAS WILSON, of Oklahoma City, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of failing to file a tax return, announced Mark A. Yancey, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.  

Wilson was charged pursuant to an Information filed by the Government.  Wilson admitted today to United States District Judge Timothy D. DeGuisti that from December 2010 through December 31, 2011, while he was a licensed attorney practicing in Norman, Oklahoma, he defrauded his clients by misappropriating funds that he received on their behalf from insurance companies and other payors.  Wilson admitted that he deposited the funds he received for the benefit of his clients into a client trust account, and then wrote checks to himself, made cash withdrawals, or transferred money from the client trust account in amounts that exceeded the attorney’s fees that he was contractually entitled to receive from each client.  He admitted that, as a result of his actions, some of his clients received no money or less money than they were due from the settlements or judgments he obtained on their behalf.  Specifically, Wilson admitted that he caused First American Bank in Oklahoma to use interstate wire communications with the bank’s processor in Texas to withdraw $40,000 from his client trust account.  He admitted that this money was fraudulently misappropriated from insurance settlement funds that rightfully belonged to Wilson’s client, R.F.

Wilson also admitted that he knowingly and willfully failed to file a federal income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service for the tax year of 2011.

At sentencing, Wilson faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the wire fraud charge and up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine on the tax charge.   A sentencing hearing will be set by the court in approximately 90 days.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Maxfield Green.  

Updated February 24, 2016

Topic
Public Corruption