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Jeffrey L. Finney (WSBA No. 15618, admitted 1986), of Kennewick, was disbarred, effective May 14, 2008, by order of the Washington State Supreme Court following approval of a stipulation. This discipline is based on conduct involving soliciting and accepting bribes.
Mr. Finney was employed as a defense attorney practicing for the City of Kennewick, which operated a recreation program (Home Base) that provided a place for teens to meet and enjoy recreational activities. The City of Kennewick and the city attorney’s office authorized persons charged with misdemeanor criminal offenses and civil infractions to make donations to Home Base to have their cases dismissed or their charges significantly reduced. One of the assistant prosecutors for the City of Kennewick (Mr. X), in his official capacity, solicited defendants who had charges pending against them to donate money to the Home Base program. Mr. X negotiated many cases that were favorable to defendants in return for donations to Home Base.
From approximately January 1, 2005, until approximately March 1, 2006, Mr. Finney and Mr. X conspired to solicit money from Mr. Finney’s clients for donations to Home Base, which they then split between them for their own use. On multiple occasions, Mr. Finney told his clients that their criminal charges would be reduced or dismissed if they gave him funds to be donated to Home Base, and the clients gave him funds for donation to Home Base. He didn’t tell his clients that some or all of the funds would be kept by Mr. X or by him for his own use. Mr. Finney gave money received from his clients to Mr. X in transactions valued at more than $5,000, in order to influence Mr. X as a city prosecutor to render favorable dispositions of his clients’ cases and to obtain money for Mr. X and himself. Over $160,000 of the donation money that should have gone to Home Base did not go into the Home Base account. The amount taken by Mr. Finney for his own use has not yet been judicially determined, but Mr. Finney estimates that it approximates $20,000.
On December 12, 2006, Mr. Finney was charged by indictment with violating several federal statutes in connection with the facts set forth above. On September 11, 2007, Mr. Finney pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. §666(a)(2) (offering a bribe), one count of the indictment mentioned above. This offense is a felony.
Mr. Finney’s conduct violated RPC 8.4(b), prohibiting a lawyer from committing a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer in other respects; and RPC 8.4(i), prohibiting a lawyer from committing any act involving moral turpitude, or corruption, or other act which reflects disregard for the rule of the law.
Joanne S. Abelson represented the Bar Association. James E. Egan represented Mr. Finney. |