Attorney Took Fees, Didn't Deliver Legal Services: Chesco Jury

WEST CHESTER, PA — A Chester County jury decided attorney Joshua A. Janis stole from dozens of his clients by taking their money but failing to deliver the legal services agreed upon.

Janis, 40, was convicted by a jury on Dec. 9 of 34 counts of felony theft and multiple counts of receiving stolen property, according to court documents.

The defendant practiced as an attorney when he deceived clients from 2013-15. He faces decades in prison, said Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan's office today.

In late 2015, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court suspended Janis's law license for five years, the D.A.'s office said.

Janis had worked for a West Chester Law firm, Lee A. Ciccarelli, P.C., in 2013. He resigned when it was discovered that he had been stealing money on multiple occasions from the firm or its clients, the district attorney's report said.

He resigned and started his own law practice, The Janis Law Firm, LLC. Over the next two years, Janis defrauded more than 25 clients into paying for legal representation for various cases, such as civil disputes, personal injury, underage drinking, divorce, child custody, protection from abuse, and criminal defense, the D.A. reported.

Once Janis received the money, he either did not perform the work required or did the bare minimum, according to the court records. The case against Janis stated that after he received the money from his clients, he stopped communicating with them about their cases. In some cases, he hurt his clients' legal interests by acting contrary to their legal position, the district attorney said.

Judge Patrick Carmody, who presided over the trial, revoked bail for Janis following the guilty verdict.

Janis remains in Chester County Prison, where he awaits sentencing, officials said.

Chester County Det. Gerald Davis, Jr. and Sgt. Robert Dougherty handled the investigation. Deputy District Attorney Ronald Yen and Assistant District Attorney John McCaul were prosecutors for the case.