Lawyer Held On $1 Million Bail Facing 26-Count Indictment For Various Ripoffs Of Clients, Others Totaling Nearly $250K

In Boston, Massachusetts, the Boston Herald reports:

• A suspended attorney living in the U.S. illegally is held on $1 million cash bail after prosecutors say he stole nearly a quarter-million dollars from clients, friends, and other business partners to finance a lavish lifestyle that included drugs, gambling, luxury cars, and a penthouse apartment.
  
  Wassem Amin, 31 replied “not guilty” repeatedly as a court clerk rattled off a recently returned 26-count grand jury indictment during a magistrate session this morning in Suffolk Superior Court.
  
  Fueled by “drugs, gambling, and a desire for luxury living,” Assistant District Attorney Michele Granda said Amin orchestrated numerous schemes including duping a client to wire nearly $50,000 into a corporate account. Amin claimed it was for legal service, but Granda said the cash was used to prepay a two-year lease on a Mercedes S-Class sedan.
  
  Amin also racked up $35,000 in charges on six credit cards opened up on the names of a law school friend and a legal intern, who became Amin’s girlfriend, without their authorization, Granda said. The ADA said Amin used the money for cash withdrawals at Foxwoods and luxury vehicle rentals and threatened one of the victims when he learned a complaint had been filed.
  
  In 2011, Amin forged a letter to induce a friend to co-sign for a student loan with the promise of a high-paying job, Granda said. Amin, who graduated from the New England School of Law in 2012, did not make payments on the loan, leaving his friend on the hook for the payments, Granda said.
  
  “This friend is still paying the defendant’s student loans,” Granda said. “Mr. Amin is not.”

For more, see Lawyer held on $1M bail for alleged scams that fueled life of luxury.