Attorney Takes Plea Deal in Embezzlement Case

A from a Milwaukee law firm will not stand trial for the crime.

Brian Mularski, 37, pleaded guilty in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Monday to one count of theft of more than $10,000 from a business setting. He pleaded guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors where a second similar charge is dismissed.

Mularski could still face up to five years in prison and $25,000 in fines for the crime under the single charge.

According to the criminal complaint:

Mularski was employed as an attorney at Eisenberg, Riley & Zimmerman, S.C. and between March 2006 and January 2009, he stole $737,172 from the firm by depositing checks meant for vendors into his personal bank account.

In January 2006, Mularski opened up a bank account in the name Mularski Law Office and began depositing checks into the account meant for vendors. He took about $179,000 by the end of the year.

In 2007 he deposited 85 checks from the law firm into the account and collected $240,000 that year. He also wrote out four other checks that year from the firm for personal use, making a total loss to the business at nearly $255,000 for the year.

In 2008, Mularski deposited another 70 checks to the account for a total loss of $291,847 that year.

The theft came to light after the firm’s office manager was contacted by insurance companies while Mularski was on vacation, saying they never received payments. The manager traced the missing money back to Mularski, who was confronted when he returned to work. He said he wasn’t sure why the money was deposited into his account and would look into the matter.

Mularski will be sentenced Jan. 7.