High-profile celebrity lawyer sanctioned by Iowa judge for ‘lack of candor’ – Iowa Capital Dispatch

An Iowa decide has taken the weird step of sanctioning and limiting the apply of a high-profile Illinois legal professional for his alleged “lack of candor” with the courtroom.

U.S. District Courtroom Decide C.J. Williams, who works out of the Cedar Rapids courthouse within the Northern District of Iowa, has filed a written opinion and order sanctioning legal professional Jeffrey B. Steinback of Roscoe, Sick., for contempt of courtroom. The order prohibits Steinback from ever showing earlier than Williams once more besides with the permission of the district’s chief decide.

Over time, Steinback has supplied authorized providers for quite a few high-profile shoppers, together with singer R. Kelly, who has confronted numerous state and federal fees associated to baby pornography, racketeering and sexual abuse; a key witness within the corruption investigation of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich; and a high-ranking Chicago police officer who ran a jewelry-theft ring.

Different Steinback shoppers have included media mogul Conrad Black, who was convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice, and accused mob boss Michael “The Giant Man” Sarno.

When requested concerning the sanctions and the discovering of contempt, Steinback informed the Iowa Capital Dispatch on Wednesday, “I’ve profound respect for Decide Williams and the facility of the district courtroom, usually, and I suggested the courtroom throughout the listening to that I might settle for regardless of the decide felt was acceptable and I’m standing by that assertion.”

The sanctions imposed by Decide Williams are based mostly on Steinback’s conduct within the protection of Romel Murphy, who in 2020 was criminally charged in Iowa with wire fraud and identification theft in reference to numerous live performance promotions.

A trial within the case was initially scheduled for April 2020, however Steinback filed a movement for a continuance, citing severe considerations along with his household’s well being. Related motions have been filed in Might 2020, citing COVID-19 restrictions that prevented him from assembly with Murphy; in July 2020, citing ongoing points with COVID-19 restrictions; and in September 2020, citing further household well being points. The entire motions have been granted by the courtroom, pushing the scheduled trial to January 2021.

Three weeks earlier than the trial was scheduled to start that month, Steinback filed a fifth movement for a continuance, citing COVID-19 restrictions and the current start of a grandson. That movement was denied by the courtroom. The subsequent day, Steinback filed a movement with the courtroom indicating Murphy would plead responsible.

Decide: ‘I’m extremely skeptical’ of lawyer’s claims

Eight days earlier than the scheduled sentencing in September 2021, Steinback filed a movement asking for a continuance, The courtroom agreed, however the day earlier than the rescheduled sentencing, Steinback’s spouse and authorized assistant emailed the courtroom, stating Steinback was “on his option to the emergency room as a consequence of violent again spasms and nerve ache” and wouldn’t be capable of attend the listening to.

An emergency movement to proceed the sentencing listening to was then filed with the courtroom over Steinback’s signature. The movement claimed Steinback “was taken to the emergency room and was handled there” and was suggested to not journey.  The courtroom granted the movement and continued the sentencing to Oct. 6, 2021.

On Oct. 5, 2021, Steinback’s spouse known as the decide’s assistant and reported that Steinback had met with a shopper who appeared to be optimistic for COVID-19, and so Steinback wanted to self-quarantine. She requested that the sentencing be continued.

Steinback was knowledgeable that until he examined optimistic for COVID-19, the listening to would proceed as deliberate. Inside hours, Steinback filed one other emergency movement searching for to proceed the matter, claiming he had been ordered by his doctor to self-quarantine.

When Steinback failed to seem in courtroom that day, Decide Williams rescheduled the matter for Oct. 20, 2021. The decide then issued an order requiring Steinback to indicate trigger as to why he shouldn’t be held in contempt. He additionally ordered Steinback to supply copies of correspondence with Murphy concerning the continuances; medical data pertaining to the reported again spasms; and medical data pertaining to Steinback’s testing for COVID-19.

At a subsequent listening to on the contempt matter, Steinback supplied typed paperwork that claimed to be transcripts of communications with Murphy — however they weren’t authentic paperwork or precise textual content messages. No billing data have been supplied, and the one current medical report turned over was a press release from a doctor that learn, “Affected person reviews lacking a piece appointment on 9/24/21 as a consequence of again spasms.”

On the listening to, Decide Williams informed Steinback, “I’m extremely skeptical that you simply went to the emergency room and had any directions from any physician to not seem — or to not journey. I discover it completely unbelievable that you could possibly not produce paperwork to reveal these medical therapies that you simply allege and that you simply informed me in a courtroom submitting occurred on these dates. I don’t have any concept how you could possibly not produce these paperwork once I gave you loads of time to take action – if, actually, they occurred.”

Steinback: ‘I cannot sit nonetheless and be known as a liar’ 

The decide agreed to provide Steinback 30 days to show that he “truly went into an emergency room” and to offer the requested paperwork. Steinback then claimed that it was an pressing care facility he went to moderately than an emergency room and informed the decide the ability wasn’t offering him with any paperwork associated to the go to.

On the listening to, Steinback supplied to let the decide bodily look at his again, his hip and different areas of his physique. “Your honor has raised skepticisms, which basically assault the very core of who I’m and what I’ve been as knowledgeable for 47 years,” Steinback mentioned, in line with a courtroom transcript of the listening to. “The one factor {that a} lawyer has is his phrase. That’s it. That’s my inventory in commerce.”

After 30 days handed and Steinback nonetheless hadn’t produced the data, a second listening to on the contempt matter was scheduled for December 2021. The day earlier than the deliberate listening to, Steinback sought one other continuance, citing his brother’s medical points. The movement was granted, and the listening to was rescheduled for later that month.

In the future earlier than the rescheduled listening to, Steinback sought one other continuance, this time citing his personal historical past of well being issues. At the moment, Steinback additionally informed the courtroom the pressing care clinic wouldn’t give him the title of the one that had evaluated him. The courtroom agreed to proceed the matter till Jan. 10, 2022.

On the listening to, Steinback mentioned underneath oath that whereas he had been asleep and closely medicated for his again spasms, his spouse wrote a movement searching for a continuance within the case and filed it with the courtroom with out his information.

“I didn’t wish to get into that along with your honor as a result of I’d moderately die,” he informed the decide, in line with courtroom data. “I’d moderately your honor throw me into jail than have anyone assume something untoward about my spouse … Your honor can do no matter your honor feels is acceptable. And in the event you assume I’m mendacity, then do no matter it’s that you really want. However I cannot sit nonetheless and be known as a liar.”

The decide requested Steinback whether or not he had ever “stepped foot inside that pressing care facility.” Steinback mentioned he had, however nobody on the clinic took his title or sought any figuring out data from him.

The listening to ended and was scheduled to renew on Might 20, however on Might 18, Steinback emailed a three-page letter to Williams during which he sought a continuance and requested for “forgiveness for the short-sighted, wrong-headed and, reflecting again, at occasions deceptive approach during which I’ve performed myself earlier than this courtroom.”

The movement was denied, and on the conclusion of the Might 20 listening to, the decide discovered Steinback in civil contempt of courtroom for failing to adjust to courtroom orders, for a scarcity of candor with the courtroom, and for deceptive the courtroom.

Decide: ‘That was a lie from the start’

Within the written order of contempt filed this week, Williams acknowledged that Steinback’s declare of visiting an pressing care facility was unfaithful. The decide wrote that “step one the ability would have taken would have been to get identification from Steinback and enter him into their system, if for no different cause than to gather insurance coverage.”

Decide Williams additionally famous that Steinback had claimed to have screenshots of textual content messages however by no means produced them for the courtroom as ordered. “The conclusion the courtroom reaches is that there was data within the textual content messages that was not favorable to Steinback and he would moderately incur the courtroom’s wrath for not producing them than to supply them and let the courtroom know what they include,” the decide acknowledged in his order.

“He couldn’t finally produce medical data exhibiting he was handled for again spasms on September 24, 2021, as a result of that was a lie from the start,” Williams wrote in his order. The decide added that he doubted the reality of Steinback’s declare that he by no means accredited courtroom filings that “contained the lie” that he had been handled in an emergency room for again spasms.

“The courtroom suspects that Steinback totally knew about, and accredited, the submitting of the movement,” Williams acknowledged.

Williams discovered that Steinback’s conduct “considerably interfered with the courtroom’s schedule. The Northern District of Iowa is a small district with one of many heaviest per-judge caseloads within the nation … When Steinback repeatedly filed motions to proceed hearings on the final minute for what the courtroom now finds to be underneath frivolous or false pretenses, it disrupts the courtroom’s schedule.

Williams additionally known as Steinback’s “utter disregard” for the welfare of his shopper, Murphy, “reprehensible.”

William issued Steinback a public reprimand within the type of the contempt discovering; ordered that Steinback “should not once more apply regulation earlier than this courtroom” with out the specific written permission from the chief decide for the Northern District of Iowa; and ordered Steinback to pay a nice of $5,000.

Williams additionally ordered {that a} copy of his opinion be despatched to the Lawyer Registration and Disciplinary Fee of Illinois.