Reinstatement Denied

The circumstances of the underlying misconduct that led to his 2004 disbarment weighed heavily against a Petitioner’s reinstatement according to a decision of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals 

The nature and circumstances of Mr. Alamgir’s underlying misconduct appear to be undisputed. Mr. Alamgir was convicted of 164 felony counts, for the offenses of conspiracy, immigration fraud, and money laundering. In a course of criminal conduct that began in 1996 and lasted for at least seven years, Mr. Alamgir charged immigrant clients a premium to submit fraudulent immigration documents in order to illegally obtain employment visas on their behalf. The criminal conduct netted Mr. Alamgir at least $2.75 million, and Mr. Alamgir bought at least five properties with proceeds of the criminal conduct.

To help carry out his criminal conduct, Mr. Alamgir recruited his paralegal to forge employer signatures; paid employers to claim falsely that clients worked for them; laundered proceeds through bank accounts of his relatives and friends; and coached his clients on what lies to tell immigration officials to obtain their employment visas.

Mr. Alamgir pleaded guilty, and he agreed to forfeit $2 million in the form of a money judgment. Mr. Alamgir also agreed to sell at least two of five properties that he obtained with the proceeds of his criminal conduct and to provide the proceeds of those sales to the United States.

His failure to promptly file the required affidavit did not preclude reinstatement and 

Disciplinary Counsel argues that Mr. Alamgir’s underlying misconduct was so serious that Mr. Alamgir should be deemed categorically ineligible for reinstatement. We do not reach either of those arguments. Rather, we assume for current purposes that Mr. Alamgir is eligible to be reinstated and that Mr. Alamgir’s prior misconduct does not categorically preclude reinstatement.

But there were a number of concerns

we are also troubled by the fact that the immigration attorney for whom Mr. Alamgir has been working had herself been twice disciplined for dishonest conduct in connection with immigration proceedings. Mr. Alamgir’s decision to work for an employer with such a history raises some reasonable doubt about the depth of Mr. Alamgir’s professed commitment to put his own dishonest conduct in such proceedings behind him.

The per curiam opinion was before BLACKBURNE-RIGSBY, Chief Judge, and EASTERLY and MCLEESE, Associate Judges. (Mike Frisch)