Case against defense attorney may shrink
A federal magistrate has recommended dismissing the brunt of a case against a defense lawyer accused of unlawfully structuring more than $100,000 in financial transactions.
In a written decision, U.S Magistrate George Foley said 13 financial structuring counts should be dismissed against Paul Wommer and refiled under one charge.
Foley also recommended retaining a separate 14th count.
Wommer spent five months as a prosecutor in the Nevada attorney general’s office before leaving in May last year. He also is a former federal and county prosecutor.
The criminal case involves a series of transactions Wommer conducted last summer with the help of his part-time legal assistant that were all under the $10,000 cash reporting limit designed to combat money laundering.
According to the indictment, Wommer withdrew cash from his personal and business bank accounts in amounts under $10,000 and then instructed his assistant to deposit the money into her personal account.
When IRS agents interviewed Wommer, he cited several reasons for structuring the 13 transactions the way he did, including his desire to hide money from his girlfriend, Foley wrote.
Earlier this month, Wommer’s attorney Stan Hunterton argued that the government had erroneously charged Wommer with the same offense 13 times.
Foley agreed in his 12-page recommendation to U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro, saying the indictment was “multiplicitous.”
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.
