Youngstown lawyer suspended

Staff report

COLUMBUS

The Ohio Supreme Court has indefinitely suspended Neal Atway, a downtown Youngstown lawyer, from law practice because of his felony conviction, the court announced Thursday.

Atway, 49, was sentenced in federal court in Cleveland to three years’ probation, with the first four months of it on electronically monitored house arrest, and fined $2,000, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against rights.

That charge was contained in an information filed by the U.S. attorney’s office.

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 Mohd Rawhneh, another convenience-store owner.

Muth and Rawhneh were having a business dispute.

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.