Washington Lawyer - May 2020 - 45

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARIES

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on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in the United States District Court
for the District of Maryland.
In re Babak Bagheri. Bar No. 465302. January
29, 2020. Bagheri was suspended on an
interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in Maryland.
In re Maurice R. Franks. Bar No. 51110.
December 11, 2019. Franks was suspended
on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in Colorado.
In re Kenneth S. Kaufman. Bar No. 401139.
December 9, 2019. Kaufman was suspended
on an interim basis based upon discipline
imposed in Maryland.

Informal Admonitions Issued by the
Office of Disciplinary Counsel
In re Kellee G. Baker. Bar No. 992003.
November 14, 2019. Disciplinary Counsel
issued Baker an informal admonition. While
retained to represent a client who was
being sued for possession of premises in
landlord-tenant court, Baker engaged in
conduct that seriously interfered with the
administration of justice. Rule 8.4(d).
In re Charles Gregory Canty. Bar No. 443186.
November 19, 2019. Disciplinary Counsel
issued Canty an informal admonition. While
retained in a defamation case on a contingency basis, Canty failed to place the client
on notice that he was responsible for half
the litigation costs during the litigation.
Rules 1.5(b) and (c).

Disciplinary Actions Taken by the
Board on Professional Responsibility
Original Matters
In re Olekanma A. Ekekwe-Kauffman. Bar
No. 479967. December 20, 2019. The Board
on Professional Responsibility recommended that the D.C. Court of Appeals
disbar Ekekwe-Kauffman for reckless misappropriation. This matter arises out of two
separate representations. In the first matter,
Ekekwe-Kauffman agreed to advise a client
as to whether to file for bankruptcy,
accepted payment from the client,
obtained relevant documents from the

client, but failed to provide the requested
advice or meaningfully communicate with
the client. After the client terminated the
representation and requested a refund,
Ekekwe-Kauffman delayed in refunding
the unearned fees and in returning the
client's documents. In addition, EkekweKauffman made recklessly false statements
in response to Disciplinary Counsel's
investigative inquiries. In the second matter,
Ekekwe-Kauffman engaged in reckless misappropriation in her handling of the funds
she received in settlement of four different
cases, indiscriminately commingled funds,
and failed to maintain the required records.
Rules 1.4(a), 1.15(a), 1.16(d), 8.1(b), 8.4(c), and
8.4(d).
In re David H. Miller. Bar No. 482782.
January 27, 2020. The Board on Professional
Responsibility recommended that the D.C.
Court of Appeals disbar Miller, upon receipt
of a certified copy of the final judgment
of conviction. A jury in the United States
District Court for the Eastern District of
Virginia found Miller guilty on 10 felony
counts: one count of conspiracy to commit
mail and wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1349), one
count of conspiracy to launder monetary
instruments (18 U.S.C. § 1956(h)), four counts
of mail fraud (18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 1341), and
four counts of wire fraud (18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and
1343). Mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy
to commit mail and wire fraud, are crimes
involving moral turpitude per se, for which
disbarment is mandatory under D.C. Code
§ 11-2503(a).

The Office of Disciplinary Counsel compiled
the foregoing summaries of disciplinary
actions. Informal Admonitions issued by
Disciplinary Counsel and Reports and
Recommendations issued by the Board on
Professional Responsibility are posted at
www.dcattorneydiscipline.org. Most board
recommendations as to discipline are not
final until considered by the court. Court
opinions are printed in the Atlantic Reporter
and also are available online for decisions
issued since August 1998. To obtain a copy of
a recent slip opinion, visit www.dccourts.gov/
court-of-appeals/opinions-memorandum-ofjudgments.

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WASHINGTON LAWYER 45
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Washington Lawyer - May 2020

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