NEWARK, NJ – James R. Lisa, a 68-year-old attorney from Jersey City, pleaded guilty to multiple criminal charges, including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
Lisa entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty, admitting to one count each of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, obstructing the IRS, failing to file an individual income tax return, and wire fraud while on pretrial release.
Court documents and statements reveal that Lisa was initially hired in 2014 by a family to repatriate millions of dollars from offshore accounts. While he succeeded in repatriating over $6 million in 2015, Lisa misled the family, stating that the funds were still offshore. He returned $4 million in 2017 but continued to falsely claim that the remaining $2 million was inaccessible.
Further complicating matters, Lisa fabricated IRS “closing agreements” in 2016 and 2018, misleading the family into believing they owed millions in taxes and penalties. These agreements were never made with the IRS, and the purported signatures of IRS employees were fraudulent.
While on pretrial release in 2023 for these offenses, Lisa committed another act of wire fraud. He applied for a $22,000 loan and submitted a fraudulent letter, purportedly from his defense attorney, to mislead the lender about the status of his criminal case.
Additionally, Lisa admitted to failing to file tax returns for the years 2015 to 2022, causing at least $550,000 in tax loss to the IRS.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 25, 2024. Lisa faces a range of penalties, including a maximum of 20 years in prison for wire fraud and mandatory two years for aggravated identity theft, among other charges.