The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on March 25, 2022. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.

Disbarred

K.O. Johnson, Sycamore

Mr. Johnson, who was licensed in 1996, was disbarred on consent. His misconduct arose from his August 2021 convictions of four counts of bankruptcy fraud and three counts of concealment of assets, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison. 

Dean William O’Connor, Phoenix, Arizona 

Mr. O’Connor was licensed in Illinois in 1980 and in Arizona in 1988. An Arizona disciplinary hearing panel disbarred him for engaging in a pattern of misconduct in three separate matters. In one matter, he converted $40,000 in funds belonging to a bankruptcy estate and disbursed over $230,000 in insurance proceeds to his client without disclosing the receipt or disbursement of those proceeds to the court. In another matter, he did not adequately communicate with his client and failed to research issues involved in his client’s matter. In a third matter, he advanced non-meritorious claims and contentions, made false representations in a court filing, and made false statements to the Arizona State Bar during its investigation into his conduct. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him. 

Craig Barry Sherman, Boca Raton, Florida 

Mr. Sherman was licensed in Illinois in 1967 and in Florida in 1975. The Supreme Court of Florida permanently revoked his admission to the Florida Bar after he filed a petition for disciplinary revocation without leave to apply for readmission, which stated that he was the subject of a disciplinary grievance alleging, in part, misuse of funds totaling $4,175,000. Mr. Sherman agreed that there was factual predicate for disciplinary action against him. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him. 

John Eric Tresslar, Saint Louis, Missouri 

Mr. Tresslar was licensed in Missouri in 1985 and in Illinois in 1986. The Supreme Court of Missouri disbarred him for failing to diligently represent a client, failing to maintain complete records for his trust account, misappropriating more than $68,000 belonging to his clients, and making misrepresentations to a tribunal. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and disbarred him.  

Suspended

Jessica Rose Allen, Palatine

Ms. Allen, who was licensed in 2014, was suspended from the practice of law for one year and until further order of the Court. In 2019 and 2020, Ms. Allen failed to diligently pursue two related immigration matters and repeatedly misled her clients about the status of those matters. Ms. Allen was previously disciplined for nearly identical misconduct in 2018. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.

Sheldon Lee Banks, Deerfield

Mr. Banks, who was licensed in 1965, was suspended for two years and until further order of the Court and was required to demonstrate that he has paid $7,000 in restitution, plus interest, to his former client’s sister prior to petitioning for reinstatement. While representing the client in a criminal matter, he did not respond to the client’s family’s requests for information about the case, collected an unreasonable fee of $9,000 when he made no court appearances and filed no pleadings or briefs, and returned only $2,000 of the fee. He also did not respond to an ARDC subpoena. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board. 

Richard George Fonfrias, Chicago

Mr. Fonfrias, who was licensed in 1996, was suspended for six months. He failed to appear when required before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois, made false statements about appearing before the bankruptcy court in an affidavit and to a third person, and made false statements to the ARDC about drafting the affidavit. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.  

Lori Jo Kieffer, Davenport, Iowa 

Ms. Kieffer was licensed in Illinois in 2001 and in Iowa in 2002. The Supreme Court of Iowa suspended her with no possibility for reinstatement for one year. While representing a client in a criminal matter, she falsified her client’s signature on a written arraignment form and then made misrepresentations to the court about what she had done. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended her for one year and until further order of the Court. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board.  

Ryan S. Kosztya, Joliet

Mr. Kosztya, who was licensed in 2002, was suspended for two years and until he completes the ARDC Professionalism Seminar, followed by a one-year term of probation with conditions. Mr. Kosztya dishonestly misappropriated over $58,000 from clients in two matters and then made false statements to the clients and a court to hide his use of the funds. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022. 

Donald F. Moonen, Jr., Epworth, Iowa

Mr. Moonen was licensed in Illinois in 1976 and in Iowa in 1997. The Supreme Court of Iowa reprimanded him for neglecting a client matter and failing to comply with Iowa disciplinary authorities’ requests for information about his conduct. Mr. Moonen is currently suspended in Iowa on a separate case involving his failure to cooperate with Iowa disciplinary authorities’ investigations. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for five months and until he is reinstated to the practice of law in Iowa. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.  

Jaroslaw Arkadiusz Szymanski, Libertyville  

Mr. Szymanski, who was licensed in 2013, was suspended from the practice of law for two years and until further order of the Court. In 2016, Mr. Szymanski was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic battery and domestic battery arising from an incident in which he pushed his spouse against a wall and placed his hands around her throat, causing a partial obstruction of her breathing. Mr. Szymanski later pled guilty to misdemeanor battery in connection with that incident. In 2018, Mr. Szymanski again was arrested for an incident in which he punched his spouse in the arm and attempted to punch her in the stomach, for which he was charged with two counts of resisting a peace officer and two counts of domestic battery.  Those charges were later dismissed. A suspension until further order of the Court is an indefinite suspension which requires the suspended lawyer to petition for reinstatement after the fixed period of suspension ends. Reinstatement is not automatic and must be allowed by the Supreme Court of Illinois following a hearing before the ARDC Hearing Board. 

Paul Anthony Tanzillo, Chicago

Mr. Tanzillo, who was licensed in 1986, was suspended for four months and was required to complete the ARDC Professionalism Seminar within one year of the order of discipline. He failed to properly communicate with his clients, waitresses who were the subject of charges that they had violated a local ordinance, and improperly represented the women despite a conflict of interest arising from his concurrent representation of the restaurant chain that employed them. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.  

Roni S. VanAusdall, Quincy

Ms. VanAusdall, who was licensed to practice in 2003, was suspended for one year. During a dissolution of marriage case, she came to an agreement with opposing counsel concerning parenting time, prepared a proposed order memorializing the agreement, and obtained opposing counsel’s permission to submit the order to the trial judge for entry. Ms. VanAusdall then created a second proposed order that included provisions that had not been agreed upon and falsely assured the trial judge that opposing counsel had agreed to the order she was presenting. She was the subject of a misdemeanor charge of attempt forgery. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022. 

Beau J. White, Manzon, Indiana  

Mr. White was licensed in Illinois in 1998 and in Indiana in 1999. The Indiana Supreme Court suspended him for three years, without automatic reinstatement, for failing to act with diligence in a criminal matter and a paternity case, failing to properly communicate with clients, and not cooperating in his own disciplinary proceedings. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for three years and until he is reinstated in Indiana. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022. 

Bruce Allen Willey, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 

Mr. Willey was licensed in Illinois in 2008 and in Iowa in 1993. The Supreme Court of Iowa suspended him with no possibility for reinstatement for 30 days. In securing a $200,000 loan for a company that he and a client co-owned, the repayment of which that client personally guaranteed, he entered into a business transaction with a second client without disclosing the first client’s financial liabilities and without obtaining the second client’s informed consent. He also misrepresented his ownership interest in the company that was to receive the loan and withheld material details about the purpose of the loan. The Supreme Court of Illinois imposed reciprocal discipline and suspended him for thirty days. The suspension is effective on April 15, 2022.  

The below order was entered March 18, 2022, but was not included in any prior information release. 

Patrick Daley Thompson, Chicago 

Mr. Thompson, who was licensed in 1999, was suspended on an interim basis and until further order of the Court. He was found guilty following a jury trial of two charges of knowingly making false statements to a financial institution and five charges of tax fraud.