Staten Island Attorney Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Extortion Scheme
Beginning in summer 2015, Luthmann, co-defendant George Padula and the victim participated in a scheme in which they contracted with overseas companies to sell and ship them containers of valuable scrap metal, but instead packed the containers with cheap filler material, such as concrete blocks. As part of the scheme, Luthmann registered shell companies, including Omni Metal Corporation, with the New York Department of State and recruited a client of his law practice to be the nominal president of Omni. At the direction of Luthmann and Padula, the client opened bank accounts to facilitate the fraud, and between October 2015 and December 2015, the over-seas companies wired over $500,000 to those accounts. That money was then transferred into accounts controlled by Luthmann or a co-conspirator.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/staten-island-attorney-pleads-guilty-fraud-and-extortion-scheme