Christopher Reese, also known as Christopher Eugene Thomas, was convicted by a jury for defrauding criminal defendants and their families out of significant sums in legal fees. Reese, who is not a licensed attorney, conducted unauthorized legal services in federal court. He will be sentenced on June 26, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky stated: "Christopher Reese committed fraud through his bogus legal practice. He promised his victims that he would get their family members out of prison when he knew he had no way to guarantee that outcome, and induced them into paying him for legal services he knew he wasn’t authorized to provide. As a unanimous jury has now found, Reese’s promises were lies designed to enrich Reese at the expense of his victims. Running an unlicensed law business is a crime, and Reese now faces serious federal prison time for his fraudulent conduct."
Reese operated a scheme targeting federal inmates and their families by promising favorable outcomes in criminal cases which he could not deliver. He charged hefty fees for these unauthorized services while styling himself as a "legal assistant" or "paralegal," but without the supervision of a licensed lawyer.
He promised immediate release for defendants based on motions filed in exchange for substantial fees but failed to disclose the illegality of his unlicensed practice. When motions failed, refunds were seldom given despite promises.
Reese engaged in unauthorized practice by drafting and filing legal documents in federal courts including those heard by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
The scheme generated hundreds of thousands of dollars, with additional crimes committed involving false statements to avoid restitution payments and laundering proceeds through financial transactions with co-conspirators.
Reese was convicted on several charges including wire fraud, unauthorized practice of law in a federal enclave, making false statements to the U.S. Probation Office, and conspiracy to commit money laundering; however, he was acquitted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The case was investigated by Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josiah Pertz, Kingdar Prussien, and James McMahon from the White Plains Division.