Wheeling Attorney Charged with Fraud and Money Laundering

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - A Wheeling attorney has been indicted for allegedly fraudulently handling client funds and using client funds to conduct unlawful monetary transactions.

Paul J. Harris, 62, of Wheeling, was indicted on June 3 for mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and unlawful monetary transactions related to his allegedly fraudulent and unlawful handling of client funds between approximately April 2014 and June 2025.

Harris faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the mail and wire fraud counts, up to 30 years in federal prison for each of the bank fraud counts, and up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the unlawful monetary transaction counts.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarod J. Douglas and Jennifer T. Conklin are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government, and the matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Read the indictment here.