The Region : Disbarred Lawyer Gets Prison in Thefts

Disbarred attorney William David Schwartz was called “evil without redemption” by U.S. District Judge James Ideman, who sentenced him in Los Angeles to 10 years in prison for pocketing $80,000 worth of insurance checks belonging to clients. Ideman cited the case of a widow who had to sell her home at a $50,000 loss to pay bills because she was cheated by the defendant. Schwartz was disbarred in 1979, after pleading guilty to creating a fictitious corporation. He served three months and was released on probation, but neglected to tell clients he had been disbarred and continued to represent them in personal injury cases.