SAN FRANCISCO (Northern California Record) — Nevada attorney Zachary Brooke Roberts faces summary disbarment following a California Supreme Court decision and his conviction for wire fraud in a corruption scandal in which a native peoples tribe was defrauded of millions.
The high court issued its disbarment order April 26 and Roberts' effective disbarment date will be May 26, according to a recent announcement on the State Bar of California's website. The court also ordered Roberts, of Henderson, Nevada, to pay costs.
"The underlying crime for Roberts’ conspiracy was fraud, specifically wire fraud, which is an act of moral turpitude as a matter of law. " said the four-page California State Bar Court recommendation for summery disbarment issued in January. "Accordingly, Roberts’ felony conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud qualifies him for summary disbarment."
Under California law, Roberts' conviction rendered him not entitled to a state bar court hearing to determine whether he could receive a lesser discipline, and he did not respond to a state bar request for summary disbarment, according to the decision and order.
Roberts was admitted to the bar in California on June 10, 1999, according to his profile at the state bar website.
In July 2016, Roberts was arrested on charges of fraud after he allegedly failed to disclose an kickback scheme to investors, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission news release.
In November 2017, Roberts entered a plea agreement that included his conviction on one of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and waiving his right to appeal the conviction, according to the state bar court's subsequent decision and order issued this past January.
In August 2018, Roberts and Las Vegas businessman Martin Gasper Mazzara were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris in Great Falls, Montana, to 20 months of prison, according to a U.S. Justice Department news release. The pair and their shell company, Encore Services, LLC, were ordered to pay about $2.5 million in restitution to the Chippewa Cree tribe in what came to be called the "Rocky Boy corruption case."
Roberts, now 48, was released from prison in March, according to an online inmate search.