A disbarred Belleville attorney has been sentenced to 7.5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $1 million from clients, including families of deceased officers, disabled individuals, and victims of serious accidents.
Jason Russel Caraway, 32, admitted in February to 11 counts of wire fraud tied to a wide-ranging scheme to misappropriate client funds over several years. U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel handed down the sentence at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.
Caraway, formerly a partner at Caraway, Fisher & Broombaugh, P.C., used various fraudulent methods to gain access to client trust accounts, including:
Transferring funds into his firm’s operating account for personal use
Writing checks to himself from client funds
Forging court documents to access settlements
He has also been ordered to pay restitution and penalties, and he will serve one year of supervised release after prison.
The federal indictment, filed in December 2023, outlines how Caraway targeted vulnerable clients—those with injuries, disabilities, or deceased loved ones—misusing funds from settlements and insurance payouts. In many cases, the money was meant to be protected in special needs or medical trusts.
Some of the most egregious examples include:
Ricardo Davis’ family (fallen police officer): $64,000 in life insurance never delivered.
“T.K.”: Caraway forged a judge’s signature to falsely claim a case was dismissed.
“A.Y.”: $161,000 intended for a special needs trust was stolen.
“D.K.”: A brain injury victim received nothing from two settlements.
“S.K.”: Received just $2,000 out of a nearly $90,000 settlement.
Multiple workers’ comp clients: Amounts ranging from $36,000 to $67,000 misused.
Caraway still faces several civil lawsuits in St. Clair County Circuit Court filed by victims seeking damages.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice found that Caraway routinely faked legal documents, shifted funds between accounts, and lied to clients for years while funding both his business and personal expenses.
In addition to his criminal sentence, Caraway has been officially disbarred in Illinois, ending his legal career.
