Date: May 16, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Louisville, KY — A suspended Kentucky attorney and his wife pled guilty in federal court yesterday to wire fraud and willful failure to pay tax. United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Robert Holman of the United States Secret Service Louisville Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Bryant Jackson of the Cincinnati Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, made the announcement. Andrew Nicholas Clooney and Christel Marie Clooney, both of Louisville, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of willful failure to pay tax. According to court documents, Andrew Clooney practiced as a personal injury attorney through the Clooney Law Office. Christel Marie Clooney served as the office manager for the Clooney Law Office. From August 2016 through October 2018, the Clooneys used funds that belonged to clients of the Clooney Law Office on personal expenses. Further, the Clooneys made approximately $426,098 in income in 2016, on which they owed approximately $107,140 in federal income taxes. The Clooneys neither filed a tax return for tax year 2016 nor paid any of their outstanding tax liability for that year. Andrew Clooney and Christel Marie Clooney are both scheduled to be sentenced on September 14, 2023. They each face a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system. The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and the United States Secret Service are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Gregory is prosecuting the case.
