A Minnesota lawyer who was convicted of theft by swindle of one of her clients has been disbarred. Kristi McNeilly, a defense attorney who was admitted to the practice of law in Minnesota in 2004, was disbarred after her conviction for criminal behavior involving a former client back in 2018.
McNeilly operated McNeilly Law. She agreed to represent two individuals after the Southwest Hennepin Drug Taskforce found a small amount of drugs in a safe after it executed a search warrant. McNeilly agreed that she would represent the homeowner for $20,000 and the roommate for $2,500. The client deposited $22,500 — for both his and his roommate’s representation — into McNeilly’s checking account, not a trust account.
In November 2018, McNeilly contacted the homeowner client, claiming that she had spoken with the lead police investigator and prosecutor. She said that authorities would build a large case against the homeowner, and it could result in 15 to 20 years of federal prison. But McNeilly said that he would be able to avoid the charges if he paid $35,000 to a police union and worked as an informant, or $50,000 and not work as an informant…