A Macon attorney is accused of misusing money, not showing up for hearings. He has been disbarred.

A Macon attorney has been ordered to stop practicing law after Georgia Supreme Court justices determined on Tuesday that he had violated multiple Georgia Bar rules, according to court documents.

The justices at the state's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that lawyer Melvin Raines II should be disbarred from practicing law in Georgia because he violated the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct with three of his clients, according to court records.

The state Bar filed three complaints against Raines on April 25, 2024, accusing him of:

• Not abiding by a client's decision regarding representation
• Not acting with diligence and promptness in representing a client
• Not consulting the client on how to accomplish the client's objectives
• Not keeping the client informed about the status of their case
• Not complying with requests for information
• Not holding funds or other client property in an account separate from his personal account
• Not keeping records of account funds and other property by the lawyer
• Withdrawing clients' funds for his personal use
• Not making a reasonable effort to expedite litigation consistent with the client's interest
• Being dishonest, fraudulent, deceitful or misrepresenting a client

Court documents show that because Raines never responded to the complaints when they were filed, the Supreme Court ruled that he admitted to the allegations by default.

Raines told The Telegraph that he could not speak on the matter as he is appealing the decision from the justices. He has been an attorney since 2006.

Macon lawyer wrongly used $5,000 in client money, justices say

Raines represented a client indicted in September 2021 on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. Raines told the suspect's mother he was working on a plea deal in the case and needed $5,000, according to court documents.

She provided the $5,000 in a check to Raines on March 9, 2022, according to supreme court records. He deposited the check into his account with Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts, which is intended for "raising money for charitable purposes, primarily the provision of civil legal services to indigent persons," according to the American Bar Association.

Raines proceeded to write four checks from that account later that month, totaling $7,150, according to court records. Over the next few months, the balance in his account dropped to less than $10.

The justices wrote in court records that Raines spent the money on personal expenses.

In that case, his client entered a guilty plea on May 5, 2022, but the court "did not accept a plea deal of a fine in lieu of time served and sentenced the son to two years in confinement," the justices said in a court document.

The client's mother asked Raines to return the $5,000 she had given him, but he told the mother that the money was given to the superior court clerk. Court records state that when the mother contacted the clerk, they said they could not accept money without a court order. Raines told the mother he would personally pay her back, but "he failed to return the money by this date," justices said in court documents.

He returned the money in cash in September 2022, but not until after she filed a complaint with the state Bar.

Macon lawyer held in contempt multiple times

In another case that Raines worked on, his client's trial was set for August 2022 and rescheduled so they could "hire other legal counsel to replace Raines," Georgia Supreme Court justices wrote in court records.

In that case, Raines failed to appear at a status hearing on December 1, 2022. He provided notice but dated the notice incorrectly, and the judge in the case scheduled a hearing to determine if Raines should be held in contempt, court records say.

The judge wanted Raines to explain "why, after previously being warned and admonished, he should not be found in contempt for his unexcused failure," justices said.

Raines was held in contempt, according to court documents. That was the fourth time he had faced a contempt hearing related to his attendance and notice issues.

After failing to appear in several cases in the Southwestern Judicial Circuit, he was removed from assigned pending cases, court records say.

Lawyer accused of ignoring client in lead-up to trial

Court records state that Raines was appointed to take over another attorney's client when they retired in a case set to go to trial in April 2022. The attorney told the court that Raines had been given information about the case.

When the trial time arrived, Raines had not inspected the evidence, visited his client, or responded to prosecutors trying to get in touch with him.

The trial was rescheduled several times, until November 2022, when the client asked the judge to remove Raines from his case because he could not communicate with him.

"During Raines's representation, he did not communicate with the client, did not respond to the client's requests for information and updates in his case, did not file anything on the client's behalf after entering an appearance and did not prepare for trial," the justices said.

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Judge recommends that the case against Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan proceed

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal magistrate judge recommended Monday that the case proceed against a Wisconsin judge who was indicted on allegations that she helped a man who is in the country illegally. evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May. She pleaded not guilty .

The case highlighted a clash between President Donald Trump's administration and local authorities over the Republican's sweeping immigration crackdown .

Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example of Dugan to calm judicial opposition.

Dugan filed a motion in May to dismiss the charges against her, stating that she was acting in her official capacity as a judge and therefore is immune from prosecution. She argued that the federal government violated Wisconsin's sovereignty by interfering in a state courtroom and prosecuting a state judge.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph recommended against dropping the charges on Monday. The final decision is up to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who can accept the other judge's recommendation or reject it.

We are disappointed in the magistrate judge's non-binding recommendation, and we will appeal it," said Steven Biskupic, attorney for Dugan, a former federal prosecutor, in a statement. "This is only one step in what we expect will be a long journey to preserve the independence and integrity of our courts.

Joseph wrote in her recommendation that while judges have immunity from civil lawsuits seeking monetary damages when engaging in judicial acts, that does not apply to criminal charges such as those in this case.

"A judge's actions, even when done in her official capacity, does not bar criminal prosecution if the actions were done in violation of the criminal law," Joseph wrote.

Dugan also argued that the prosecution under federal law violated the U.S. Constitution's separation of powers because it overrides Wisconsin's ability to administer its courts.

Whether Dugan broke the law as alleged, or she was merely performing her judicial duties as Dugan contends, are questions for a jury to decide and cannot be determined in a motion to dismiss, Joseph said.

Joseph also noted that both sides disagree on facts related to the case, which also cannot be resolved in a motion to dismiss.

It is important to note that nothing said here speaks to the merits of the allegations against Dugan," the judge said in the recommendation. "Dugan is presumed innocent, and innocent she remains, unless and until the government proves the allegations against her beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury at trial.

No trial date has been set.

Dugan is charged with concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor, and obstruction, which is a felony. Prosecutors say she escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, and his lawyer out of her courtroom through a back door on April 18 after learning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the courthouse seeking to arrest him for being in the country without permanent legal status.

Agents arrested Ruiz outside the courthouse after a short foot chase.

Dugan could face up to six years in prison and a $350,000 fine if convicted on both charges.

Her case is similar to one brought during the first Trump administration against a Massachusetts judge , who was accused of helping a man sneak out a courthouse back door to evade a waiting immigration enforcement agent. That case was eventually dismissed.

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