PPP Fraud Draws Disbarment
The Georgia Supreme Court Court has disbarred an attorney who was convicted of wire fraud
The record before us shows that in November 2020, Norton pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, see 18 USC § 1349, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for defrauding the federal government of nearly $8 million in Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans. Her conviction went unreported to the State Bar of Georgia. Upon learning of her conviction, the State Bar initiated disciplinary proceedings under Bar Rule 4-106; this Court appointed a Special Master, see Case No. S22B1122 (appointed June 28, 2022); and the Special Master then conducted a hearing, at which Norton testified regarding her conduct and offered evidence in mitigation.
The court considered a number of mitigating factors but nonetheless imposed disbarment
Norton has spent most of her professional life serving as a water and sewer contractor for the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County, Georgia, although she has also practiced some law handling domestic, transactional, and personal
injury cases. Norton is currently president and CEO of CamKen and is tasked with overseeing the operations of the company, maintaining client relationships, procuring projects, and ensuring that such projects are successfully executed. She is also responsible for navigating the local, state, and federal regulatory environment on behalf of the company. In addition, she has experience in registering the company as a minority business enterprise and participating as a member of joint venture partnerships with out-of-state entities. Her company at one time was one of the top 25 contractors in the City of Atlanta, and CamKen earned approximately $80 million in revenue over 23 years in the contracting business.
The Special Master found that in the summer of 2020, the federal government charged Norton with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for conduct which included, but was not limited to, submitting false and fraudulent PPP applications, using the funds she received for personal expenses, and conspiring to defraud and obtain money and property by false and fraudulent pretenses, all of which resulted in a loss of approximately $7.8 million dollars to the PPP program.
Sanction
the Special Master stated that eroding confidence in the legal profession is something that all lawyers must take seriously, and that while there is no doubt that Norton has done good things for family, friends, and the community, her guilty plea and failing to report it to the Bar seriously adversely reflects on her fitness to practice law, is a violation of the law, and in turn, is a violation of the Bar Rules, all of which points to a more severe sanction than suspension.
(Mike Frisch)