Consent To Disbarment After Criminal Plea
An Illinois attorney has moved for consent disbarment after a plea in a criminal matter
On October 10, 2019, Movant was charged by Information with two counts of Criminal Sexual Assault and one count of Unlawful Restraint in the Circuit Court of Whiteside County. The Information alleged that Movant has sexually assaulted and unlawfully restrained S.L.W., a female client, while she was in Movant’s office. People v. Lancaster, 2019CF301, Whiteside County, Illinois.
On October 29, 2019, Movant was charged with one count of Criminal Sexual Assault against another female, S.N.P. People v. Lancaster, 2019CF318, Whiteside County, Illinois.
On May 5, 2022, the Special Prosecutor in cases 2019CF301 and 2019CF318, dismissed all charges described above and filed a fourth count in case 2019CF301, alleging that Movant committed Battery, a Class A misdemeanor, by knowingly making “physical and sexual contact” with his client S.L.W., the victim identified in the original Information.
On May 5, 2022, Movant pled guilty to the charge of Battery, described…above, and was sentenced a term of 18 months of conditional discharge with conditions including that Movant “not seek reinstatement of his license to practice law nor maintain a license to practice law.”
The Legal Herald reported on the charges
Attorney Michael A. Lancaster was arrested on Thursday, October 10 on charges of criminal sexual assault.
Illinois State Police say that the 63-year-old attorney was arrested on Thursday, October 10. Police had investigated Lancaster after one of his clients filed a complaint that the attorney had sexually assaulted them during a meeting at his Sterling office, located at 15 East 3rd Street.
Police investigators searched Lancaster’s home in Rock Hills and his office in Sterling for evidence during the investigation.
Following this investigation, Lancaster was charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault and one count of unlawful restraint. He was held at the Whiteside County Jail on $150,000 bond.
The Rock Island County State’s Attorney office will handle this case because of possible conflicts of interest within Whiteside County, where Lancaster’s practice is located.