The Long Reach Of Hurricane Katrina

The District of Columbia Board on Professional Responsibility recently recommended a one-year suspension of a former senior domestic policy adviser to former President George W. Bush for criminal conduct unrelated to the practice of law. The attorney had been convicted of misdemeanor theft offenses from Target. He bought two items from a store and used the receipt to attempt to get a refund after taking the identical items off the shelf.

The board concluded that the crimes did not involve moral turpitude, which would have required disbarment. The board also noted that two jurisdictions had imposed 90 day suspension for the misconduct. Notably, the attorney had claimed (and the board agreed) that the stress related to his involvement in the response to Hurricane Katrina had played a role in the violations.

The case is In re Claude Allen and can be accessed through this link. (Mike Frisch)