Larceny, Forgery, Identity Fraud Charges for Boston Lawyer

Boston, MA - A Boston lawyer landed on the wrong side of the courtroom Friday, accused of stealing his business partner's identity and swindling a client out of $50,000.

Wassem Amin, already suspended from practice in Massachusetts, was arraigned Friday morning in Boston Municipal Court on two dockets, one charging larceny over $250 by single scheme, forgery of a check, and uttering a false check, and the second charging identity fraud and forgery of a document, according to a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

According to prosecutors, the 31-year-old Boston lawyer operated a law practice called Amin Legal Group at One Boston Place. On February 11, a former law school classmate joined the firm, providing his personal information in order to be added to the firm’s corporate bank accounts.

Amin allegedly used the victim's identity to open a Bank of America account, issue five credit cards through the account (two under his own name) and take out an Amazon credit card. Records suggest applications for that card came from an email linked to Amin, according to the allegations.

The victim subsequently resigned from the firm, filed a formal complaint against Amin with the Board of Bar overseers and then, according to prosecutors, started getting threatening text messages -- some from a number allegedly linked with Amin.

Pertaining to the second docket, Amin allegedly had $49,980 of a client's money wired to his firm under the auspices of setting up the client's new business. An investigation by Boston Police revealed that the money was instead transferred into Amin’s personal bank account and used for his own expenses, including trips to Foxwoods. The victim made repeated demands that the money be returned. Amin on May 31 issued a check to the victim from a bank account that had been closed two months earlier. The victim’s bank account was frozen when the bad check was returned, according to the prosecution.

Amin was suspended from practicing law in Massachusetts on June 1.

He was held Friday on a combined $70,000 cash bail, with an order to wear a GPS monitor and avoid contact with the victims should he post bail.

Amin returns to court July 22.