Office of Disciplinary Counsel v. Mesi

We concur in the board’s findings that respondent violated DR 1-102(A)(5) and (6), 5-105(B), 6-101(A)(3), and 9-102(A) and (B). The board’s recommended sanction, however, is not appropriate.

We, like the court in Office of Disciplinary Counsel v. Shorall (1991), 527 Pa. 413, 592 A.2d 1285, are not moved by respondent’s apologies for his poor judgment and naivety. Respondent pleaded guilty to the felony of which he now stands convicted. As the Shorall court observed, a guilty plea is not a ceremony of innocence, nor can it be rationalized in a subsequent disciplinary proceeding. Id. at 424-425,…