York County attorney suspended over fraud and allegations of misuse of funds

Mateen Haleem hired a lawyer in May 2021 to help with a criminal case, not knowing at the time that the $4,000 fee he paid would disappear.

Haleem, a 43-year-old Maryland resident, was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and trespassing in York County. His case had gone to district court several months earlier, and court records show that by the time the trial began, he had retained Andrew Ziegler as a private attorney.

Ziegler, then an attorney at Mooney and Associates, first agreed to represent Haleem for $2,000, according to a state disciplinary complaint document. He then increased the amount to $6,000.

Court records show Haleem paid the fee in three installments – $4,000 in cash, another $1,000 in cash and $1,030 by credit card to Mooney Law.

Ziegler took the money but did not deposit it in a trust account, as state rules of conduct require. He also did not discuss the move with Haleem, Pennsylvania disciplinary attorneys alleged.

Investigators say that at one point, Ziegler allegedly lost most of the money Haleem paid him after signing the fee agreements.

“Defendant forfeited a $4,000 cash payment dated May 28, 2021 from Mr. Haleem,” the complaint stated.

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In September of that year, four months after Ziegler was hired, court documents show that another lawyer from the same firm stepped in and took over Haleem’s case for several months. Late that year, Haleem hired a new lawyer.

Haleem was one of 14 clients whose cases were used as examples of Ziegler’s allegation that he paid nearly $37,000 in fees and emoluments between 2018 and 2021.

The documents show that the money was not returned to Mooney or to the safe accounts. In several cases, Ziegler allegedly told Mooney he was working with them pro bono. In several others, he allegedly said nothing about taking over these clients and their money.

Disciplinary attorneys also alleged that Ziegler never deposited a check for $209,000 in court-ordered escrow from the sale of a home as part of a 2021 divorce case. Court documents show Mooney Law staff found the check this summer and deposited it to the company account.

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On May 21, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided to suspend Ziegler from the bar after filing a complaint with the court’s state disciplinary commission.

The decision states a temporary suspension, but according to the disciplinary committee employees, it is an indefinite period.

The suspension took effect on Thursday.

At the same time, Ziegler also faces criminal contempt charges as police allege he violated a protection from abuse order in April by sending text messages while visibly upset, according to charging documents.

Ziegler did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Mooney and Associates employees also did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Ziegler, 40, was most recently a partner at Central PA Law Group, which has an office in downtown York. The staff said they no longer worked for the company.

A professional misconduct complaint was filed against Ziegler last December when disciplinary counsel detailed allegations of fraud, misappropriation of funds and record-keeping lapses dating back to his time at Mooney after he started in 2017.

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The seven cases listed in the complaint allege that Ziegler led the company to believe he was working on them on a pro bono basis. At the same time, however, according to the complaint, these clients signed fee agreements and paid Ziegler in advance.

The disciplinary hearing officer found that the money never reached Mooney as it should have.

“Defendant benefited financially by retaining fees he was required to pay to Mooney Law,” the complaint stated.

In five other cases, Ziegler accepted and charged clients under retainer agreements, but allegedly refrained from representing those clients before Mooney Law.

In each of the 14 cases listed in the complaint, including several that did not appear to be pro bono, lawyers alleged that Ziegler failed to deposit the fees he collected into separate, secure trust accounts. He also did not obtain consent to skip this step.

Pennsylvania’s rules of professional conduct require lawyers to keep clients’ money separate from their own.

“The lawyer shall keep all funds and property specified in Rule 1.15 separate from the lawyer’s property. Such property should be identified and properly secured,” stated the storage principle.

In most cases, the complaint alleged failures to deposit funds into Attorney Interest Trust Accounts. They are defined in the rules as income-producing accounts that hold eligible funds that are nominal in nature or held for short periods of time.

Disciplinary attorneys said fees charged by Ziegler allegedly did not go to those accounts.

The complaint also accused him of violating professional ethics by failing to maintain appropriate financial records regarding the money collected.

Once the suspension takes effect, Ziegler will face a contempt charge for violating an order or agreement in a matter separate from the disciplinary committee’s case.

Northern York County Regional Police filed the lawsuit in April after responding to allegations that Ziegler texted someone he was banned from contacting in connection with the PFA case.

According to the prosecution documents, the text messages described by the police indicated an obvious desire to give the man money.

Court documents show a hearing in the case will be Aug. 7 before York County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Flannely.

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— Contact Aimee Ambrose at [email protected] or on Twitter at @aimee_TYD.