Biglaw

Ex-Biglaw Partner Sentenced To Time Behind Bars After Pleading Guilty To Tax Crimes

In addition to prison time, this former partner owes the government more than $3.9 million in taxes.

By  
on

employee-fraud-handcuffs-steal-businessBack in May, a former Biglaw partner pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his income taxes in 2016 and 2020, and it was likely that he could face time in federal prison. Earlier this week, his sentence was handed down.

Eric Lenzen, 44, who formerly worked as a partner at Husch Blackwell, where he led the firm’s financial services and capital markets group, and later lateraled to Dykema Gossett. He was working at Husch during the tax years in question, where his ongoing legal problems caused issues that followed him to Dykema.

Lenzen — who according to federal prosecutors “spent lavishly on private planes, jewelry, and golf memberships — was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Reuters has additional details on his sentence:

Prosecutors sought 16 months for Lenzen, arguing in an Oct. 8 sentencing memo that his failure to pay taxes was “not a one-time poor decision nor a single mistake.”

Instead, it was “an extended course of conduct” in which Lenzen “repeatedly lied to IRS employees and moved and transferred money so that he could avoid paying taxes while continuing to enjoy living extravagantly,” assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Stewart said.

Final restitution has not yet been set, but Lenzen has already admitted that he owes more than $3.9 million in unpaid taxes, including interest and accrued penalties. Best of luck to Eric Lenzen as he transitions from Biglaw to the Big House.

Ex-partner at US law firms Husch, Dykema sentenced for tax crimes [Reuters]

Earlier: Ex-Biglaw Partner Pleads Guilty To Tax Crimes, May Serve Time Behind Bars

Sponsored

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Sponsored

Topics

, , ,