A Cedar County attorney has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after admitting to defrauding clients and using funds intended for their benefit for personal use.
Peter A. Lee, 50, of Stockton, Missouri, carried out a scheme in which he took money from his clients and used it for himself. According to court documents, Lee also used client funds to repay victims of previous thefts. The affected clients included decedent estates and a special needs trust. The fraudulent activity occurred between January 2019 and February 2025, with Lee obtaining $296,140 through the scheme.
As part of his plea agreement, Lee agreed to surrender his law license voluntarily.
“Under federal statutes, Lee is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri manages federal crime prosecutions and civil litigation across 66 counties in western Missouri. Its jurisdiction stretches from the Iowa border in the north to Arkansas in the south and covers areas from Kansas in the west to roughly halfway across Missouri in the east. The office has locations in Kansas City, Jefferson City, and Springfield and works with various law enforcement partners at different levels of government while addressing issues such as violent crime, drug trafficking, and financial fraud (https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo).
The U.S. Attorney for this district operates under the U.S. Department of Justice (https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo) and supports community outreach programs aimed at prevention (https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo).
