12:46 PM CDT, September 21, 2012
A Vernon Hills attorney used his bankruptcy clients’ credit cards and also had an employee create bogus tax returns so he could put off paying his student loans and buy a car, federal prosecutors said today.
After the employee was arrested, attorney Bradley F. Aubel tried to keep her quiet by paying her mortgage and giving her sister $6,000 to go to Mexico, authorities said.
But the employee cooperated with officials anyway and recorded text messages that are contained in a federal complaint charging the 47-year-old Aubel with mail and wire fraud and obstruction of justice, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
Prosecutors say Aubel had used the worker not only to create the false returns, but to get cash advances from credit cards of his bankruptcy clients. The schemes began unraveling when the woman was arrested in 2010 for identify theft.
Aubel suggested that the woman, who had worked for him for 10 years, plead guilty and serve a sentence, prosecutors say. In return, he offered to keep paying her salary and mortgage and also paid her sister $6,000 to go to Mexico "so she would be unavailable to talk further to the FBI or testify at any proceeding," according to the U.S. attorney's office.
In one exchange of text messages provided by prosecutors, Aubel assured the woman that "things will work out."
Aubel: "R u ok you look abit tense"
Woman: "No I'm ok, just nervous about the whole thing"
Aubel: "Just making sure your ok and remember that everything is going to be ok"
Woman: "O yea right the last time you said that I got arrested and now have felony charges, and you want me to be ok"
Aubel: "Easy don't get offended things will work out just relax"
Aubel also had his employee create bogus tax returns for him to back up his claim that he made about $6,666 a month so he could buy a 2011 Honda Fit, according to the complaint.
At the time he was siphoning money from his clients' credit cards, Aubel owed more than $100,000 in student loans and was trying to get the U.S. Department of Education to allow him to stop payment on the loans, prosecutors say.
He had the employee create a bogus set of tax returns that claimed he earned only $8,663 in 2008, $7,578 in 2009 and $7,018 in 2010 so he could stop payment on the loans, according to the federal complaint.
Aubel was released on $10,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court again Oct. 16.
A Vernon Hills attorney used his bankruptcy clients’ credit cards and also had an employee create bogus tax returns so he could put off paying his student loans and buy a car, federal prosecutors said today.
After the employee was arrested, attorney Bradley F. Aubel tried to keep her quiet by paying her mortgage and giving her sister $6,000 to go to Mexico, authorities said.
But the employee cooperated with officials anyway and recorded text messages that are contained in a federal complaint charging the 47-year-old Aubel with mail and wire fraud and obstruction of justice, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
Prosecutors say Aubel had used the worker not only to create the false returns, but to get cash advances from credit cards of his bankruptcy clients. The schemes began unraveling when the woman was arrested in 2010 for identify theft.
Aubel suggested that the woman, who had worked for him for 10 years, plead guilty and serve a sentence, prosecutors say. In return, he offered to keep paying her salary and mortgage and also paid her sister $6,000 to go to Mexico "so she would be unavailable to talk further to the FBI or testify at any proceeding," according to the U.S. attorney's office.
In one exchange of text messages provided by prosecutors, Aubel assured the woman that "things will work out."
Aubel: "R u ok you look abit tense"
Woman: "No I'm ok, just nervous about the whole thing"
Aubel: "Just making sure your ok and remember that everything is going to be ok"
Woman: "O yea right the last time you said that I got arrested and now have felony charges, and you want me to be ok"
Aubel: "Easy don't get offended things will work out just relax"
Aubel also had his employee create bogus tax returns for him to back up his claim that he made about $6,666 a month so he could buy a 2011 Honda Fit, according to the complaint.
At the time he was siphoning money from his clients' credit cards, Aubel owed more than $100,000 in student loans and was trying to get the U.S. Department of Education to allow him to stop payment on the loans, prosecutors say.
He had the employee create a bogus set of tax returns that claimed he earned only $8,663 in 2008, $7,578 in 2009 and $7,018 in 2010 so he could stop payment on the loans, according to the federal complaint.
Aubel was released on $10,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court again Oct. 16.
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