Lawyer’s license suspended indefinitely by the court | News, sports, jobs

YOUNGSTOWN – The Ohio Supreme Court has ordered that imprisoned attorney Robert J. Rohrbaugh II, 51, have his law license suspended indefinitely, with credit for the 18 months he has already served of his interim suspension.

Officials say it could be several years before Rohrbaugh is eligible to apply for reinstatement of his law license, especially because a person under federal supervision cannot apply for reinstatement until that supervised release is over.

The suspension of Rohrbaugh’s law license comes as Rohrbaugh has been convicted in a federal trial of four felonies for his involvement in a scheme aimed at obtaining fraudulent federal income tax refunds. His suspension will remain in effect while he serves a 52-month federal prison sentence, the Ohio Supreme Court noted.

He must also serve three years of post-release monitoring after leaving prison and, along with his co-defendants, pay $569,939 to the IRS by paying 25% of his gross income each month while in prison. According to the ruling, he must also pay 10% of his gross monthly income during his supervised release.

Judge Benita Y. Pearson handed down the sentence in June 2023 after Rohrbaugh was convicted at trial in Youngstown of conspiracy to commit crimes against the United States, aiding and abetting theft of government property, and aiding and abetting false claims against the United States States and money laundering conspiracy.

Rohrbaugh has a release date of Nov. 18, 2025, according to online U.S. Bureau of Prison records.

He had a law office on Belmont Avenue in Liberty and was living in the Youngstown area at the time he and two other men were indicted in federal court on fraud charges. They were accused of cashing and using a $1.3 million IRS check that co-defendant Brandon Mace fraudulently obtained while in federal prison.

“At his disciplinary hearing, Rohrbaugh testified that the majority of the criminal conduct – creating fictitious entities and filing false tax returns – occurred before he joined the conspiracy, and he claimed that all he did was register a of the fictitious companies in Ohio,” the Supreme Court ruled.

“Rohrbaugh also testified about the effect his convictions have had on him and his family. With Rohrbaugh out of work, his family had to sell everything they had, including their furniture, clothes and shoes,” it added. “Despite this, Rohrbaugh said he felt ‘pretty good’ when he discovered he didn’t really need everything he used to have and that he could live with a lot less.”

The ruling adds that “since his incarceration, Rohrbaugh has participated in a residential substance abuse treatment program, has been significantly involved in spiritual groups and activities, and has remained sober,” it says. “He has also learned new skills in plumbing and hopes these skills will help him secure a job as a plumber upon his release from prison.”

In a January 2024 complaint, the Mahoning County Bar Association accused Rohrbaugh of five violations of the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct related to the criminal case. The Bar Association later dismissed three of the charged violations.

The Supreme Court ruling noted that the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct found that Rohrbaugh had violated rules that prohibit a lawyer from “committing an illegal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty or trustworthiness” and that prohibits “engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.”

The board and the Mahoning County Bar Association found that Rohrbaugh “exhibited a dishonest or selfish motive,” but also found that Rohrbaugh had no prior disciplinary record, that he freely and fully disclosed his conduct to the Board of Professional Conduct, that he cooperated with the investigation found that he was of ‘good character and reputation’ and that ‘other penalties’ had been imposed. The board also found that Rohrbaugh’s actions were “significantly inferior in magnitude, scope and motivation” to those of his co-conspirators. Rohrbaugh did not appeal his convictions.

Four of the seven Supreme Court justices agreed to give Rohrbaugh an indefinite suspension, with credit for time served. Two other judges would not have given Rohrbaugh the 18-month credit for time served. The seventh judge did not participate in the ruling.

The justices compared Rohrbaugh’s conduct to that of other attorneys convicted of various federal financial crimes and found his sentence appropriate compared to others.

Among the most similar were an attorney convicted of money laundering and attempted money laundering for accepting and issuing checks in connection with drug trafficking, and an attorney convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and securities fraud for participation in a scheme aimed at defrauding investors. .