Dane Thomas Wilson, 61, of Oklahoma City, is on the hook for $525,006.71 in restitution after a federal judge ordered repayment to defrauded clients, the Oklahoma Bar Association, and the IRS. The former Norman attorney already landed behind bars in 2016 for a wire fraud scheme that bled his clients dry—now he’s paying the financial price.
U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGuisti handed down the restitution order this week, closing a chapter on a case rooted in betrayal. Wilson, once trusted to fight for his clients in court, instead used their settlement funds as personal cash. Between December 2010 and December 31, 2011, he funneled money from insurance payouts into his client trust account—then siphoned it off with checks to himself, cash withdrawals, and unauthorized transfers far beyond his agreed-upon fees.
Victims got shortchanged—some nothing at all—while Wilson lived off the proceeds. Nineteen former clients will split $141,772.01 in restitution, with individual payouts ranging from about $200 to over $75,000. The Oklahoma Bar Association, which had stepped in through its Client Security Fund to cover losses, is set to recoup $329,398.70 from Wilson.
The fraud wasn’t the only crime. Wilson also admitted to willfully failing to file a federal income tax return for 2011. That omission cost him another $53,836 in restitution to the IRS. The tax charge, combined with wire fraud, landed him a 30-month federal prison sentence on December 16, 2016—time he’s already served, but the financial reckoning lingers.
Wilson pled guilty on February 24, 2016, to charges brought by Information, admitting the full scope of his crimes. No excuses, no trial—just a confession to stealing from the very people who trusted him to protect their interests. As a licensed attorney at the time, his actions violated not just the law but the ethical spine of the legal profession.
The investigation was a joint hammer blow from the Norman Police Department, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Oklahoma Bar Association, the FBI, and IRS-Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Maxfield Green prosecuted, ensuring Wilson faced consequences that outlasted his prison term. For the victims, the restitution is cold comfort—but it’s justice, slow and exact.
Related Federal Cases
- Dane Thomas Wilson Gets 30 Months for Client Fraud · Oklahoma
- Jeffrey K. Wilson Indicted in $13.8M Rent-A-Vet Fraud · Kansas
- Tulsa Woman Sentenced for $112,800 Social Security Fraud · Oklahoma
- Madill Woman Gets Probation for Wire Fraud · Oklahoma
- Eufaula Woman Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice in Social Security Fraud · Oklahoma
Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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