Why lawyers are gearing up for a fight over sentence for Dustin Johnson’s former attorney
The sentencing hearing for Hardwick has been pushed back another month to
It had already been continued from
A federal jury convicted Hardwick in October of embezzling an estimated
Johnson claimed in a lawsuit against Hardwick, his firm and his firm partners that he was bilked out of
The Coastal Carolina alumnus and
Hardwick, 53, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 21 counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements to federally insured banks.
Earlier this month, the defense and prosecution filed sentencing memos stating their cases.
Prosecutors claim in their memo filed
Hardwick argued at trial he believed millions he siphoned from the firm were due to him as majority owner, and blamed his indicted co-conspirator
While Hardwick admits to requesting funds from Maurya for his benefit that were not firm-related, he said he had no idea client trust funds and law firm funds had been comingled and he didn't intend to defraud anyone. He refutes the prosecution's claim that he obstructed justice or committed perjury.
Maurya agreed to cooperate with the government before the trial and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors did not call her to testify and she is scheduled to be sentenced
In requesting 22 years, the prosecution seeks sentencing enhancements for the large amount of money taken, alleged perjury, the number of victims, Hardwick's alleged role as the leader of a criminal activity, abuse of a position of trust, and the seriousness of the offenses.
"Hardwick's self-dealing caused his law firm to implode and put approximately 800 people out of work," the prosecution stated in its memo, adding the damage to the residential title-insurance industry could have been "catastrophic."
Hardwick's legal team, headed by
In its sentencing memo filed
The memo adds that Maurya stole an amount of money from the escrow accounts that was never precisely determined at trial, and the amount Hardwick was due as majority owner was also never accurately determined.
His attorneys claim in their memo that Hardwick "certainly failed at managing his own expenses, keeping up with his personal expenditure and distributions, and managing the firm financially. And clearly, he also placed trust in the wrong controller,
Hardwick also seeks credit for all or some of his 32 months of home confinement with an ankle monitor.
At trial, prosecutors documented Hardwick's spending of nearly
According to an article by
Law.com says Olivares, 31, was wearing an 8.35-carat diamond ring at the verdict hearing that Hardwick bought for
S.C. POYs named
The Lowcountry had the top junior girl and boy in
Griz, a ninth-grader, is the youngest boys winner since the inaugural year. His 2018 season included 16 top-10 finishes and four national/regional tournament victories (Bobby Chapman Invitational conducted by the SCJGA, the Harvey Brock Orange Jacket Classic, The Carolinas Junior PGA Championship and the
He also qualified for match play and reached the round of 32 at the
Schimpf had 12 top-10 finishes last year, including victories at the SCJGA Fall Challenge and WSCGA Foundation Championship and runner-up finishes at the SCJGA The Blade Junior Classic, CGA Twin States Girls and 2017 Donald Ross Junior Girls.
The
The SCGA Player of the Year is
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