Attorneys defending a Columbus, Ga., lawyer accused of laundering money for his clients continue to question the actions of an assistant U.S. Attorney in Georgia’s Middle District.
The trial of lawyer J. Mark Shelnutt, scheduled to begin in Columbus Nov. 9, will raise ethical questions regarding, on the one hand, how far a criminal lawyer can go to collect legal fees from defendants whose only known means of financial support are apparently illegal activities and, on the other hand, the lengths to which federal prosecutors may legally and ethically go in attempting to secure a conviction.
