Gunned Down
An attorney was disbarred by the New York Appellate Division for the First Judicial Department
On April 24, 2018, respondent was found guilty, after a jury trial, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, of bribery in violation of 18 USC § 666; conspiracy to commit bribery in violation of 18 USC § 371; honest services wire fraud in violation of 18 USC §§ 1343 and 1346; and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud in violation of 18 USC § 1349, all felonies.
Respondent’s convictions stemmed from his offering and giving monetary and non monetary bribes to a sergeant of the New York Police Department (NYPD) assigned to the NYPD’s License Division in exchange for the sergeant giving expedited or other favorable treatment in gun license related matters pending before the NYPD’s Pistol Section for the benefit of individuals who paid respondent for his assistance in such matter.
The Attorney Grievance Committee (AGC) advises that respondent has not been sentenced as of the date of this motion.
As night follows day
We have previously deemed a conviction under 18 USC § 666 to be a “serious crime” as defined by Judiciary Law § 90(4)(d) (Matter of Cantor, 229 AD2d 172 [1st Dept 1997]). In subsequent proceedings, we went further and found that conviction under 18 USC § 666 constituted a felony for purposes of disciplinary proceedings (Matter of Cantor, 252 AD2d 269 [1st Dept 1999]. We find no reason not to follow the Court’s determination that a conviction under 18 USC § 666 is analogous to a conviction under Penal Law § 200.00 and, being a felony, warrants automatic disbarment pursuant to Judiciary Law § 90(4)(e] (see Matter of Castro, 216 AD2d 782 [3d Dept 1995]).
As noted, respondent concedes that he is automatically disbarred pursuant to Judiciary Law § 90(4)(e) as a result of his federal conviction.
Therefore, respondent’s conviction under 18 USC § 666 constitutes grounds for disbarment under Judiciary Law § 90(4)(a) and (b) and his name should be stricken from the rolls. Accordingly, the Committee’s motion to strike respondent’s name from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law pursuant to Judiciary Law § 90(4)(a) and (b) is granted, effective nunc pro tunc to April 24, 2018, and until further order of this Court.
From the New York Post
A self-proclaimed gun lawyer to the stars kept an NYPD cop on the payroll in a bribes-for-permits scam that secured his clients expedited license renewals and also smoothed over legal issues that might have cost them their pistol permits, federal authorities said.
John Chambers, 62, was charged with bribery and conspiracy in Manhattan federal court Tuesday in the latest wave of arrests stemming from a sprawling NYPD corruption scandal first reported by The Post.
Chambers, a former Brooklyn prosecutor, says on his Web site that he’s “the ONLY lawyer specializing in gun licensing EXCLUSIVELY” and bills himself as the “Top Firearms Licensing Attorney in NY.”
He also boasts a client list that includes a slew of unspecified celebrities, including a “Movie Star,” “Radio Personality,” “Famous Artist,” “Saturday Night Live Alum” and “NY Times Best Selling Author.”
One of his two sites also features a photo of conservative commentator and writer Ann Coulter aiming a pistol with both hands while wearing shooting earmuffs at an indoor firing range.
Coulter told The Post in an email that she never hired Chambers to represent her, but said of the image of her on his web site, “It’s a nice picture!”
A complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court Tuesday alleges that Chambers gave “numerous valuable items” — including tickets to Broadway shows and sporting events, restaurant meals and an $8,000 Paul Picot watch — to ex-cop David Villanueva between at least 2010 and 2015.
Villanueva — who’s cooperating with the feds — ensured that Chambers’ clients got their pistol permits renewed in as little as one day, as opposed to the 30 to 40 days such applications usually require, court papers say.
Villanueva also sped up investigations of incidents that could have jeopardized the permits held by Chambers’ clients, and made sure each one ended in a “beneficial resolution,” according to the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office.
“In total, Villaneuva estimates that he provided assistance with at least a dozen renewals of NYPD License Division licenses and 50 to 100 NYPD incident investigations for Chambers,” related to persons with violations that could have cost them their gun permits, court papers say.
Chambers also allegedly exploited Villaneuva’s connections to the Nassau County Police Department on behalf of his clients, paying him a total of $1,500 in cash — mailed inside magazines — to expedite the renewal of three permits.
“If we play our cards right, you could potentially be looking at an extra 10K in cash in a 12 month period, give or take….just for being my Nassau Co. ‘consultant,’” Chambers texted Villanueva on Sept. 4, 2014, court papers say.
Chambers was released on $100,000 bond. Defense lawyer Barry Slotnick — best known for representing the 1984 subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz — said: “I’m confident that his case will either be dismissed or a jury will bring in a not guilty verdict.”