From a
press release:
Richard Louis Crosby III, 37, of Mason, Ohio, pleaded guilty to three
counts of Social Security number fraud. His plea agreement includes a
sentence recommendation of 37 months in prison.
At various times throughout his scheme, Crosby used identifying
information belonging to his elderly father, his girlfriend, a deceased
man and others. He falsely told at least one law firm that he was a
University of Michigan football player and an ex-Marine. ...
In both June and November 2021, Crosby was indicted and charged in
Hamilton County with crimes related to stealing client funds. After his
indictments, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
entered an order disbarring Crosby.
In May 2022, Crosby was arrested in both of his Hamilton County cases. He was sentenced to probation in both cases in June 2023.
According to his federal plea agreement, while Crosby’s local cases
were pending, he created an email account using “richardcwilliamsesq.”
Crosby used the email address and the alias Richard Williams to
communicate with a law firm in Washington D.C. in June 2021. The firm
briefly employed “Williams.”
In June 2022 – at which point Crosby had been disbarred in Ohio and
arrested on the Hamilton County charges – Crosby used his alias to apply
online for an attorney position with a law firm in California. The firm
offered Crosby a position as an associate attorney with a salary of
$150,000. The defendant was employed under his alias for approximately
three months and used a firm email address with his alias name.
In September 2022, Crosby used his alias to apply for an attorney
position with a law firm based in Miami, Florida. Crosby met with a
recruiter via Zoom, and represented himself as Richard Williams, a
licensed attorney admitted to the bar in New York and D.C.
Crosby then met with one of the firm’s hiring managers in Florida and
was ultimately offered employment in October 2022. His starting salary
was $185,000 per year with a $5,000 signing bonus. Crosby used his
girlfriend’s Social Security number, passport number and banking
information to complete his onboarding paperwork at the law firm. ...
In July 2023, Crosby interviewed with the founding partner of a
different California law firm. He also falsely claimed to work at the
law firm of Kirkland and Ellis. After the founding partner asked Crosby
to verify with whom he worked with at Kirkland and Ellis, Crosby
withdrew his interest in the job.
A few days later, Crosby again used the alias to attempt to obtain
employment. He interviewed over Zoom with senior management of a law
firm located in Coral Gables, Florida. Crosby doctored a “screen shot”
of the name Richard Coleman Williams Jr. in the online D.C. bar
membership directory to attach with his resume.
The firm offered Crosby a starting salary of $195,000 per year with a
$10,000 signing bonus, but eventually determined Crosby was using a
false identity and did not hire him.
In August 2023, the defendant applied for a job at another law firm.
The firm, located in Michigan, sent Crosby a letter offering a salary of
$145,000 per year and a $10,000 signing bonus. When his credential
information had discrepancies, the firm terminated their working
relationship before issuing Crosby’s first paycheck.
In September 2023, one month prior to his arrest on federal charges,
Crosby used a different alias to apply for a job at another law firm in
California. He claimed that he was a University of Michigan football
player and an ex-Marine. Crosby was hired as an attorney at a salary of
$250,000 per year. He used the Social Security number of a deceased man
from North Carolina in his tax paperwork to the firm. ...
This has the feel of a guy suffering from bouts of mania associated with bipolar disorder.
