High-Profile Lawyer Sentenced to 8 Years for Ripping Off Clients

MIAMI - A prolific court-appointed receiver and trustee was sentenced today to more than eight years in federal prison for stealing $2.6 million from accounts under his control.

Lewis Freeman, an attorney and forensic accountant who founded Lewis B. Freeman & Partners in Miami and Plantation, pleaded guilty after investigators received a tip that Freeman wanted help moving money around court-supervised accounts.

U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck in Miami ordered Freeman to serve 21 months house arrest plus three years probation after his 100-month prison sentence is over.

The government was seeking 15 to 20 years, while defense attorneys pushed for as little as 7½ years.

Freeman was regarded as one of the top receivers in South Florida and was frequently appointed by judges to recoup money for bankruptcy creditors and fraud victims.