A disbarred attorney from Ohio has been sentenced to over three years in federal prison after using false identities to secure jobs at multiple law firms across the country. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced the sentence on Monday.
Richard Louis Crosby III, 37, of Mason, Ohio, pleaded guilty in July 2024 to three counts of Social Security number fraud. The U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed that Crosby used stolen identities to gain employment at seven different law firms nationwide.
To create false identities, Crosby stole personal information from various individuals, including his elderly father, his girlfriend, a deceased man, and others. In June 2021, while facing state charges for stealing client funds, Crosby used the alias “Richard Williams” to secure a position at a Washington, D.C., law firm. He continued using this alias in June 2022 to land a $150,000 associate attorney role at a California law firm.
In September 2022, Crosby applied for a position at a Miami law firm under the same false name, ultimately securing a job offer with a $185,000 salary and a $5,000 signing bonus. He also used his girlfriend’s Social Security number to complete employment paperwork for this job.
In August 2023, Crosby received a $145,000 salary offer from a Michigan firm, with a $10,000 signing bonus, but the offer was revoked when discrepancies in his credentials were discovered. The following month, he used a different alias to obtain a $250,000-per-year attorney position at another California law firm, where he submitted a deceased man’s Social Security number on his tax documents.
Additionally, Crosby falsely claimed to be a University of Michigan football player and a former Marine to at least one law firm, further embellishing his background to secure employment.
