H. James Pickerstein, a former top federal prosecutor in Connecticut and a popular figure among state lawyers, faced the prospect of a prison sentence Thursday after admitting he stole more than $600,000 from a client.
Pickerstein could be ordered to serve up to 20 years and fined more than $1 million, but will likely be given a lesser sentence under the terms of his plea bargain. He also could be ordered to pay $633,410.04 in restitution.
He made the admission while pleading guilty to a fraud charge in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, where he once sat elsewhere in the courtroom, arguing over punishment for others. Pickerstein said he was responsible for the theft, but he and his lawyers – Andrew B. Bowman and William F. Dow III – said little else.
The crime, which became public about a year ago, stunned the state bar. Because of his relationship with current and former federal prosecutors in Connecticut, the investigation was handled by the U.S. attorney's office for the southern district of New York.