{"id":115950,"date":"2025-04-21T15:58:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T23:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/04\/21\/ready-or-not-former-doj-lawyer-could-be-facing-disbarment\/"},"modified":"2025-04-21T15:58:37","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T23:58:37","slug":"ready-or-not-former-doj-lawyer-could-be-facing-disbarment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/04\/21\/ready-or-not-former-doj-lawyer-could-be-facing-disbarment\/","title":{"rendered":"Ready Or Not, Former DOJ Lawyer Could Be Facing Disbarment"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"620\" height=\"930\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-78491396-620x930.jpg?resize=620%2C930&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81787\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Three words of advice whenever you\u2019re thinking about committing crimes that leave paper trails: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z_om0QiN2ls\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Take It Easy<\/a>. The last person you should have to tell that to is someone who works for the Department of Justice, but don\u2019t forget that they\u2019re still on the list. While this former DOJ employee didn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8J8YwK2hlQ8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Seek Stardom<\/a>, he did seek to get over on an influence scheme. As you might assume from the title, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vzymXF4_RT4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Score<\/a> didn\u2019t go as well as he would have liked. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abajournal.com\/news\/article\/former-doj-lawyer-faces-disbarment-for-entanglement-in-one-of-the-largest-kleptocracy-schemes-in-history#google_vignette\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ABA Journal<\/a> has coverage:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>A lawyer who worked for the U.S. Department of Justice is facing disbarment after pleading guilty for his role in an illegal foreign influence scheme that allegedly stemmed from his friendship and legal work for hip-hop artist Prakazrel \u201cPras\u201d Michel.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>For the uninitiated, Pras is one of the founding members of The Fugees. While Pras doesn\u2019t have to worry about disbarment, he is currently fighting a corruption case that could land him <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2024\/music\/news\/fugees-pras-michel-conviction-legal-battle-22-years-prison-1236224041\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">22 years in prison<\/a>. Anyway, back to the story at hand. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>George A. Higginbotham, a former senior congressional affairs specialist at the DOJ, prepared fake loan documents, investment agreements and consulting agreements to hide the source of tens of millions of dollars intended to be used to lobby the U.S. government, according to the April 16 opinion by the Appellate Division\u2019s Second Judicial Department of the New York Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Higgenbotham pleaded guilty to a count of making false statements to a bank. I guess that\u2019s one way to get a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MC7Dr2v9Wiw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Change To Come<\/a>. All in all, Higgenbotham should <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tOUEfmCo6HE\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dry His Eyes<\/a>. Disbarment sucks for sure, but there are other \u2014 legal \u2014 opportunies out there. Maybe he can join a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=izLVnWCMN_g\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Family Business<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abajournal.com\/news\/article\/former-doj-lawyer-faces-disbarment-for-entanglement-in-one-of-the-largest-kleptocracy-schemes-in-history#google_vignette\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Former DOJ Lawyer Faces Disbarment For Entanglement In \u2018One Of The Largest Kleptocracy Schemes In History\u2019<\/a> [ABA Journal]<a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/02\/tony-buzbee-still-has-to-deal-with-jay-zs-defamation-countersuit\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-772523 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/Williams-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord\u2122 in the Facebook group\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo\/?fbid=10222912314148913&amp;set=p.10222912314148913&amp;opaqueCursor=AboVBPzRKh4loie1LupyI7ltSvsaUWxURlMk_338xXb_BPhzMNPHbWfVDUsOyUH1mfvHQ4Bsipef989J-V0OyqhMZzHPafTw49vttxDh_no8xymRSSUssmh47qTzHAc13R0wzk8nPhgSylnSAYcBNbHjYDqZDqy5r0f7PwzCZw9T-0cakKMIin3XI0O8R5H5OJGAu4kJjGPAoZpgL6woU9lwoHiAjxAwAlpmdlyt6vHLJ1TVn2srkC3G4qBW5ANthJ_YNT3BUPCu2vu1ZIxiqYwXGLfMIxQR4cllUaB0Cja74ln1FHs3n-xyHe6MDtxln0-F4QJchox9nCaivB_xmSxw3FduERhPebhWj1MKJ20jeucGZ64jY6DdUn2d87dVgNlFE5qHvNEtfMpoEKx1096oFfqbZ9s71YVsbXxLIsRiiW54eLp4R7z3WHAKu8v8xeLIZt86UVU1iOaSlJ0n5tT3_VonQT6n2F0sIUSLY272cI-yjWxaUIr0Qj-1NQDFFcn9dkq8pYV2-o0M3LK2Qhr9LKt-Bk4MTGUZCkb4Kw6mgDmRCux3nhJqd2hdLd8LgTA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Law School Memes for Edgy T14s<\/a>. \u00a0He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/33296970\/Lets_Be_Frank_Parrhesia_and_the_Black_Comedic_Tradition\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor<\/a>, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:cwilliams@abovethelaw.com\">cwilliams@abovethelaw.com<\/a>\u00a0and by tweet at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WritesForRent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@WritesForRent<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/04\/ready-or-not-former-doj-lawyer-could-be-facing-disbarment\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ready Or Not, Former DOJ Lawyer Could Be Facing Disbarment<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"930\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-78491396-620x930.jpg?resize=620%2C930&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81787\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Three words of advice whenever you\u2019re thinking about committing crimes that leave paper trails: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z_om0QiN2ls\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Take It Easy<\/a>. The last person you should have to tell that to is someone who works for the Department of Justice, but don\u2019t forget that they\u2019re still on the list. While this former DOJ employee didn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8J8YwK2hlQ8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Seek Stardom<\/a>, he did seek to get over on an influence scheme. As you might assume from the title, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vzymXF4_RT4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Score<\/a> didn\u2019t go as well as he would have liked. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abajournal.com\/news\/article\/former-doj-lawyer-faces-disbarment-for-entanglement-in-one-of-the-largest-kleptocracy-schemes-in-history#google_vignette\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ABA Journal<\/a> has coverage:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>A lawyer who worked for the U.S. Department of Justice is facing disbarment after pleading guilty for his role in an illegal foreign influence scheme that allegedly stemmed from his friendship and legal work for hip-hop artist Prakazrel \u201cPras\u201d Michel.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>For the uninitiated, Pras is one of the founding members of The Fugees. While Pras doesn\u2019t have to worry about disbarment, he is currently fighting a corruption case that could land him <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2024\/music\/news\/fugees-pras-michel-conviction-legal-battle-22-years-prison-1236224041\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">22 years in prison<\/a>. Anyway, back to the story at hand. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>George A. Higginbotham, a former senior congressional affairs specialist at the DOJ, prepared fake loan documents, investment agreements and consulting agreements to hide the source of tens of millions of dollars intended to be used to lobby the U.S. government, according to the April 16 opinion by the Appellate Division\u2019s Second Judicial Department of the New York Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Higgenbotham pleaded guilty to a count of making false statements to a bank. I guess that\u2019s one way to get a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MC7Dr2v9Wiw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Change To Come<\/a>. All in all, Higgenbotham should <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tOUEfmCo6HE\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dry His Eyes<\/a>. Disbarment sucks for sure, but there are other \u2014 legal \u2014 opportunies out there. Maybe he can join a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=izLVnWCMN_g\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Family Business<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abajournal.com\/news\/article\/former-doj-lawyer-faces-disbarment-for-entanglement-in-one-of-the-largest-kleptocracy-schemes-in-history#google_vignette\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Former DOJ Lawyer Faces Disbarment For Entanglement In \u2018One Of The Largest Kleptocracy Schemes In History\u2019<\/a> [ABA Journal]<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"150\" width=\"150\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/Williams-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-772523\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord\u2122 in the Facebook group\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo\/?fbid=10222912314148913&amp;set=p.10222912314148913&amp;opaqueCursor=AboVBPzRKh4loie1LupyI7ltSvsaUWxURlMk_338xXb_BPhzMNPHbWfVDUsOyUH1mfvHQ4Bsipef989J-V0OyqhMZzHPafTw49vttxDh_no8xymRSSUssmh47qTzHAc13R0wzk8nPhgSylnSAYcBNbHjYDqZDqy5r0f7PwzCZw9T-0cakKMIin3XI0O8R5H5OJGAu4kJjGPAoZpgL6woU9lwoHiAjxAwAlpmdlyt6vHLJ1TVn2srkC3G4qBW5ANthJ_YNT3BUPCu2vu1ZIxiqYwXGLfMIxQR4cllUaB0Cja74ln1FHs3n-xyHe6MDtxln0-F4QJchox9nCaivB_xmSxw3FduERhPebhWj1MKJ20jeucGZ64jY6DdUn2d87dVgNlFE5qHvNEtfMpoEKx1096oFfqbZ9s71YVsbXxLIsRiiW54eLp4R7z3WHAKu8v8xeLIZt86UVU1iOaSlJ0n5tT3_VonQT6n2F0sIUSLY272cI-yjWxaUIr0Qj-1NQDFFcn9dkq8pYV2-o0M3LK2Qhr9LKt-Bk4MTGUZCkb4Kw6mgDmRCux3nhJqd2hdLd8LgTA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Law School Memes for Edgy T14s<\/a>. \u00a0He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/33296970\/Lets_Be_Frank_Parrhesia_and_the_Black_Comedic_Tradition\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor<\/a>, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#315246585d5d58505c427150535e47544559545d50461f525e5c\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0and by tweet at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WritesForRent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@WritesForRent<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three words of advice whenever you\u2019re thinking about committing crimes that leave paper trails: Take It Easy. The last person you should have to tell that to is someone who works for the Department of Justice, but don\u2019t forget that they\u2019re still on the list. While this former DOJ employee didn\u2019t Seek Stardom, he did [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":115927,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Williams-150x150-Ke4Vxf.jpeg?fit=150%2C150&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}