Friday, October 16, 2015
YOUNGSTOWN
Two downtown Youngstown lawyers pleaded guilty in federal court in Cleveland to a charge contained in an information filed last week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Atty. Neal Atway pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of conspiracy against rights; and his law partner, Atty. Scott Cochran, pleaded guilty to a single count of misbehavior in the presence of the court.
Chief U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. will sentence them Jan. 12.
The monthlong trial of Atway and Cochran on extortion and obstruction-of- justice charges ended in a mistrial earlier this year.
The U.S. attorney’s office had said it intended to retry the lawyers, but then filed the information containing the charges to which Atway and Cochran pleaded guilty.
In the information, Atway was charged with abusing his power, authority and influence as the criminal defense lawyer for Charles Muth, a convenience-store owner, to deprive Muth of money and property to benefit somebody else.
Cochran was charged with failing to provide completely truthful testimony during this year’s trial of Atway and Cochran concerning conversations among Atway, Cochran and Muth.
Muth was having a business dispute with another convenience store owner, Mohd Rawhneh.
The U.S. attorney alleged that Atway led Muth to believe that, unless Rawhneh got money and property from Muth and Muth’s stores, Rawhneh would appear at Muth’s sentencings and tell the judges facts that could result in harsher punishment for Muth.
In a federal case, Muth got five months in prison for growing marijuana in his home.
In a state case, Muth got 18 months in prison on charges of ethnic intimidation and aggravated assault for his role in a Dec. 28, 2011, shooting at the Boardman home of Rawhneh’s ex-wife, in which nobody was hurt.
In the current federal case, Rawhneh pleaded guilty in May 2014 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and awaits sentencing.
Cochran is a former Mahoning County Bar Association president.