A former Gig Harbor attorney, disbarred in 2006, pleaded guilty to mail fraud Wednesday in federal court.
Bruce Hawkins, 50, was charged with eight counts of mail fraud and money laundering.
From 2003 to 2005, he took more than $880,000 in fees from more than 1,000 people after falsely claiming he could eliminate their credit card debt, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle.
Hawkins told clients they were not required to repay their credit card debt because national banks are not authorized to lend money, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
He sent debtors who paid his fee to arbitrators who were complicit in his scheme, prosecutors said. The arbitrators earned a $139 fee for issuing an “award” on behalf of the debtor.
Hawkins will be sentenced April 30 and faces three years in prison.
Joyce Chen, staff writer
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