WHEELING – A suspended Wheeling attorney has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for defrauding clients and money laundering.
Paul J. Harris, 62, was found guilty in November on 29 counts of fraud and money laundering for fraudulently handing client funds and using client funds to conduct unlawful monetary transactions.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey handed down the sentence March 23.
“Citizens should trust lawyers to protect their rights and interests, not to have their money stolen,” U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey said. “Harris broke that trust, and the law, and now he will pay with time in prison.
“This office will leave no stone unturned in pursuing full restitution to make the victims whole.”
Harris used client funds for personal expenses, such as the purchase of his home and paying off the loan for his law office, without the clients’ permission. Harris received and moved funds from his client trust account to his law firm operating account, at times using one client’s money to pay funds he had misappropriated from other clients. The total loss for the victims in this case is $701,623.86.
During last fall’s seven-day trial in Wheeling, the federal jury heard testimony about how Harris used client funds for personal expenses, such as the purchase of his home and paying for his law office, without the clients’ permission. Harris received and moved funds from his client trust account to his law firm operating account, at times using one client’s money to pay funds he had misappropriated from other clients.
Harris originally was indicted June 3 on 42 counts mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud and unlawful monetary transactions related to his allegedly fraudulent and unlawful handling of client funds between April 2014 and June 2025.
That case was dismissed in September and was refiled later that month with 29 counts. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the mail and wire fraud counts, up to 30 years in federal prison for each of the bank fraud counts, and up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the unlawful monetary transaction counts.
The West Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct say attorneys are required to keep funds, including funds to pay legal fees and funds to be used to pay expenses of the representation, in a separate account designated as a client’s trust account. It’s usually called an Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts, or IOLTA account.
An attorney can withdraw legal fees and expenses paid in advance but only as the fees were earned or expenses were incurred. An attorney is allowed to deposit his own funds in his IOLTA account for the sole purpose of paying bank service charges on that account, but only in an amount necessary for that purpose.
Harris had an IOLTA account and other accounts at Main Street Bank, the indictment states.
The indictment said Harris “devised and intended to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain money from clients by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises and for the purpose of executing the scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain money from his clients, did knowingly deliver and cause to be delivered by mail according to the direction thereon, a matter or thing, and did knowingly transmit and cause to be transmitted in interstate and foreign commerce, by means of wire communications, certain signs and signals.”
It claims Harris would have clients send him or entrust him with substantial amounts of money, including advance payments of fees, inheritance funds, settlement funds and property sale proceeds.
“Harris would commingle client funds with non-client funds by moving client funds from his IOLTA account to his law firm operating account, where he converted the client funds to his own use to fund payments that were unrelated to the representation of the client,” the indictment stated. “Harris would use some of the commingled funds of one client to make payments that he owed to another client to conceal his misuse of client funds and to lull and forestall action by his clients and others.
“Harris would make false and misleading statements to his clients and to others and would make statements to his clients and to others that omitted materially important information about his use of client funds, to conceal his misuse of client funds and to lull and forestall action by his clients and others.”
Harris will self-report to prison on May 6.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarod J. Douglas and Jennifer T. Conklin prosecuted the case on behalf of the government, and the matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
Bailey also ordered the forfeiture of the property of Harris Law Offices in Wheeling, as well as $701,623.86 in restitution to the victims.
Last March, the West Virginia Supreme Court suspended Harris’ law license for two years. He also ordered to pay the costs of the disciplinary proceedings as well as nearly $35,000 to one of the clients in question.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia case number 5:25-cr-00034 (originally 5:25-cr-00028)
