WHEELING, W.Va. –A Wheeling attorney received his sentence Monday for defrauding clients and money laundering.
Paul J. Harris, of 62, of Wheeling was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison after a federal jury found his guilty on 29 counts in November 2025.
According to a release from U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey, Harris used client funds for personal expenses, including the purchase of his home and paying off the loan for his law office. He also received and moved funds from his client trust account to his law firm operating account. Sometimes he would use the money to pay fund he had misappropriated from other clients.
The release stated that the total loss for the victims was $701,623.86. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey also ordered the forfeiture of the property of Harris Law Offices in Wheeling and also ordered Harris to pay the same amount in restitution.
“Citizens should trust lawyers to protect their rights and interests, not to have their money stole,” Harvey said. “Harris broke that trust, and the law, and now he pay with time in prison. Further, this office will leave no stone unturned in pursuing full restitution to make the victims whole.”
Harris is expected to self-report to prison on May 6.