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Lawyer Gets Prison Time After Fraud Scheme

A former Memphis attorney will serve prison time for defrauding his clients. 

George E. Skouteris Jr., 59, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment, according to acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. The sentence comes after a jury found Skouteris guilty of seven counts of bank fraud after a four-day trial in April. 

The court found that between 2007 and March 2013, Skouteris engaged in a scheme to defraud his clients by settling cases without notifying them and forging their endorsements on settlement checks made jointly payable to him and the client. Skouteris then deposited the checks to bank accounts he maintained at TrustOne Bank.

Last week, United States District Judge John Fowlkes Jr. sentenced Skouteris to 30 months imprisonment, followed by three years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. The judge also ordered a future court date to determine the amount of restitution Skouteris is to pay.