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Christopher Reese, age 56, of East Meadow, was indicted on wire fraud and related charges by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York on Monday, June 24.
According to prosecutors, Reese spent years falsely claiming to be a “legal assistant” or “paralegal” in order to con federal criminal defendants and their families out of thousands of dollars.
Working without supervision from a licensed lawyer, he swindled victims by promising that they would be “immediately released” from prison based on motions he could file in exchange for fees totaling thousands of dollars, prosecutors said.
“Sometimes Reese would also offer a ‘money back guarantee' on his services, but when his motions inevitably failed, Reese would refuse to refund his fees,” the US Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors allege that once paid, Reese proceeded to engage in the unauthorized practice of law by drafting and filing legal motions and briefs in federal cases, including those heard by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Throughout much of his alleged fraud scheme, he was on supervised release in connection with a separate federal criminal case. Prosecutors allege that he also lied to the US Probation Office about his finances and laundered the proceeds with the help of an unnamed co-conspirator.
“Christopher Reese sought to profit off the hopes and anxieties of criminal defendants and their families while abusing federal courts for his own financial gain,” said US Attorney Damian Williams.
“After promising he could get inmates out of prison time and time again, the only thing Reese achieved was taking money for himself. It’s time for Reese’s alleged fraud on defendants, their families, and the courts to end.”
Reese is charged with the following:
- Wire fraud conspiracy
- Wire fraud
- Unauthorized practice of law in a federal enclave
- False statements to probation
- Money laundering conspiracy
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