People v. Thomas Paul Raabe. 20PDJ034. June 8, 2020. The Presiding Disciplinary Judge approved the parties’ conditional admission of misconduct and suspended Thomas Paul Raabe (attorney registration number 11529) for six months, all stayed upon the successful completion of a two-year period of probation. The probation took effect June 8, 2020.
In a Douglas County District Court case, Raabe pleaded guilty to criminal charges of a securities registration violation (a class-6 felony) and unlawful activity concerning the sale of land (a class-1 misdemeanor). Raabe stipulated to a four-year deferred judgment and sentence. As a condition of his deferred judgment, Raabe agreed to pay $150,000.00 in restitution.
The criminal charges were premised on Raabe’s conduct as a 50 percent business owner in a start-up oil and gas company. Investors paid the company $300,00.00, believing they would earn profits by funding exploration and drilling for oil and gas in Colorado. The wells were never drilled, and the company never returned the principal or promised profits to the investors.
Through this conduct, Raabe violated Colo. RPC 8.4(b) (providing that it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer in other respects).
The case file is public per C.R.C.P. 251.31.