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Aug. 17, 2026

Trustee sues Bay Area attorney, firms over alleged Ponzi scheme

A bankruptcy trustee is seeking over $200 million from an attorney and two law firms accused of enabling the alleged LeFever Mattson Ponzi scheme.

Trustee sues Bay Area attorney, firms over alleged Ponzi scheme
Miller

A bankruptcy trustee seeking to recover losses from the collapsed LeFever Mattson real estate empire has sued Scott C. Smith, of counsel at Lubin Olson & Niewiadomski, and two law firms where he previously worked, claiming they helped create and conceal the legal framework for what the suit describes as one of California's largest real estate Ponzi schemes.

Michael Goldberg, trustee of the LFM Plan Recovery Trust, sued Smith, Bingham McCutchen LLP, now Morgan, Lewis & ...

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