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Former LSD Dealer Sues College For Killing His Law Career
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 3, 2011
Modified Feb 3, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 3, 2011
Modified Feb 3, 2011
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Over a decade ago, David Powers, 32, got busted in New Jersey for selling acid and ecstasy. He did a year of in-patient rehab and three-years of probation, and moved on with his life, eventually becoming an accountant at Price Waterhouse Coopers, which hired him despite the dark spot on his past. But what Powers really wanted to do was practice law, so he went back to school at St. John's University. He says he was up front about his criminal record, but when the time came to take the bar exam, the university refused to write him a crucial letter of support, and he was ultimately expelled. Now, of course, he's suing. Or rather, he's hiring someone to sue for him.
Powers was ranked third in his class and attended the university on a $20,000 scholarship, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by the Daily News. St. John's says that although Powers admitted in his application that he'd pleaded guilty to drug possession, he didn't fully disclose that he was "arrested for distribution of LSD to an undercover officer." For his part, Powers says they simply never asked, and anyway the crime had been expunged from his record after he finished probation.
Before he was dismissed, one St. John's official allegedly told him the state bar "would never let (Powers) in." His attorney, Roland Acevedo, tells the News, "I can tell you for a fact that's not true." Acevedo, as it turns out, was admitted to the bar in 1997 even though he was convicted of armed robbery in the '80s. And anyone who's ever socialized with lawyers knows they're always the first ones to suggest calling up the drug guy for a delivery. Show us a lawyer, and we'll show you a guy who offered us a key bump in the bathroom at Larry Flint's Hustler Club.
Tagged
acid freaks
attorneys
bar exam
drugs
lawyers guns money
lsd
st. john's university
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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