On Thursday, May 23, 2024, the Supreme Court of Illinois suspended attorney Wesley C. Zaba from the practice of law for 60 days after he submitted falsified financial documents regarding his mortgage company to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation over several years.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Wesley C. Zaba,” with case no. M.R.032132.
According to a petition, Zaba incorporated a mortgage company called Stonewall Mortgage Corporation in 2015. From 2017 through 2022, IDFPR required Stonewall Mortgage to submit annual unaudited or audited financial statements to maintain its license. However, Zaba falsely claimed in each submission that an accountant had prepared the documents when he had actually prepared them himself. The petition states that Zaba’s actions were dishonest and violated Illinois rules of professional conduct prohibiting deceitful behavior.
In mitigation, the petition noted that Zaba had no prior disciplinary record over his 14 years of legal practice in Illinois and fully cooperated with the ARDC investigation. However, the deception regarding the financial statements was considered an aggravating factor because it occurred multiple times over several years, rather than being an isolated incident.
The ARDC administrator recommended Zaba receive a 60-day suspension based on several previous Illinois Supreme Court cases with similar misconduct involving falsified documents. A consent order was also reached where Zaba paid $5,000 in fines and agreed to never apply for a residential mortgage license in Illinois again.
The Supreme Court accepted the consent petition and suspended Zaba’s law license for 60 days effective June 13, 2024. He must also reimburse the Client Protection Program Trust Fund for any payouts caused by his actions. With this order, the Court aims to deter attorneys from engaging in dishonest conduct while also taking into account mitigating factors in Zaba’s favor.
According to avvo.com, Mr. Zaba is a real estate attorney in Downers Grove, Illinois. He attended the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, graduating in 2007. He acquired his law license in Illinois in 2010.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
