Disbarred Cincinnati attorney facing federal charges after allegedly using false identities to get jobs at law firms

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — A disbarred attorney who has previously practiced law in Cincinnati has been arrested on charges of using a false identity to gain employment with at least three law firms, the U.S. Department of Justice says.

Federal prosecutors say Richard Louis Crosby III, 36, of Mason, created an email account, using the alias Richard Williams, to communicate with a law firm in Washington, D.C. in 2021 while he had local cases pending against him based in Ohio.

DOJ says the Cincinnati Bar Association filed a complaint against Crosby in November 2020 and in April 2021, he signaled an intent to resign from practicing law. In June and November of that same year, Crosby was indicted and charged in Hamilton County with crimes related to stealing client funds, prosecutors say.

According to officials, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio entered an order disbarring Crosby.

Officials say Crosby was arrested in May 2022 and sentenced to probation this past June.

Prosecutors say in September 2022, at which point Crosby had been disbarred in Ohio and arrested on charges in Hamilton County, he used his alias to apply for an attorney job with a Miami, Florida-based law firm. While meeting with a recruiter via Zoom, officials say Crosby represented himself as Richard Williams, a licensed attorney admitted to the bar in New York and D.C.

According to authorities, Crosby was offered a job with the Miami-based firm, with a starting salary of $185,000 and a $5,000 signing bonus. Prosecutors say Crosby is alleged to have used another person’s Social Security number, passport number and banking information to complete his onboarding paperwork at the law firm.

DOJ says in April of this year, the firm received an inquiry from an investigator with the Clermont County Child Support Enforcement Office, making them aware of Crosby’s true identity and leading to his firing.

Federal officials say in July of this year, Crosby used the same alias to try to get a job with a law firm again located in Florida, this time in Coral Gables. Officials say it is alleged that Crosby “doctored a ‘screen shot’ of the name Richard Coleman Williams Jr. in the online D.C. bar membership directory” and attached it to his resume.

Officials say Crosby was offered the job, with a starting salary of $195,000 per year with a $10,000 signing bonus, but they eventually learned of Crosby’s use of a false identity, and he was not hired.

Prosecutors say Crosby was arrested Thursday morning in Mason and will make his initial appearance in federal court in Cincinnati at 1:30 p.m.

Crosby has been charged by a criminal complaint with wire fraud, Social Security number fraud and aggravated identity theft.

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