Today, in the 221st District Court in Montgomery County, Texas, Houston personal injury attorney Jeffery M. Nathan pled guilty to the offense of Barratry and permanently surrendered his Texas Bar License. Nathan was one of eight attorneys charged with the felony offense of Barratry back in late March, 2013. The offense of Barratry involves illegally soliciting clients for legal services or representing clients that have been acquired by illegal solicitation.
In early March, 2013, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office – Public Integrity Division received a tip that an individual named Robert Valdez was illegally soliciting clients for numerous personal injury attorneys. With the assistance of the Texas Rangers, the Department of Public Safety, the Conroe Police Department, and the FBI an investigation was initiated immediately. Law enforcement officials soon discovered that Valdez was acquiring personal contact information from the Houston Police Department’s accident report website and illegally contacting accident victims in an attempt to sign them up with one of the many attorneys that he was working for.
On March 25, 2013, Valdez and eight different Houston attorneys were arrested and charged with the felony offense of Barratry as a result of their participation in this scheme. Those charged attorneys whose cases are still pending include Darren Miller, Cylde Miller, Jerry Gottesman, Nhan Nguyen, Ty Gibson, Nader Rabie, and State Representative Ronald Reynolds. Barratry is a 3rd degree felony carrying a range of punishment of 2 to 10 years in prison. Jeffery Nathan is the first of the eight attorneys to plead guilty to this offense.
Tyler Dunman (Chief Prosecutor, Public Integrity Division): “We are pleased that Mr. Nathan decided to accept full responsibility for committing the offense of Barratry. Attorneys must follow well established rules and laws that guide the practice of law in our State. Our law does not allow a licensed attorney to pay someone like Robert Valdez to willfully seek out individuals that have been victims in car accidents; victims that just want to be left alone and free to make their own decisions. Because of his illegal conduct, Mr. Nathan will never again practice law in the State of Texas.”
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