More than a month after former Lake County clerk Thomas R. Philpot was sentenced to serve 18 months for theft and mail fraud convictions, the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission has requested his law license be suspended by the Supreme Court.
The disciplinary commission filed a notice of finding of guilt and request for suspension Monday, initiating a disciplinary case. Philpot, 55, of Highland, was convicted in September of taking more than $24,000 from federal funds for child support that he oversaw as clerk from December 2004 to November 2009. He used the money to pay himself bonuses without authorization from the county council.
In February, Philpot was ordered to surrender to begin serving his sentence Wednesday. He also will serve two years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence.
The Indiana Roll of Attorneys currently lists Philpot as active in good standing with no completed disciplinary history. He was admitted to the bar in June 2001 and has a law practice in Hammond. Prior to serving as clerk for Lake County for eight years, he was the county's coroner for eight years.
There is no timeline for when the Indiana Supreme Court may take any action on the disciplinary commission's request.