A disbarred lawyer running a will-writing business in the Edmonton area now faces provincial charges. CTV News has been looking into the actions of Michael Steinberg for the past year. On top of the new charges, Steinberg also faces a court challenge over another will he was named executor of.
CTV News had already uncovered that Michael Steinberg has served time behind bars for a number of criminal convictions, after his release, he moved to Alberta.
What he’s been up to in Alberta has landed him in hot water, along with facing another court battle.
That court battle stems from what Rae Springsteel says happened – Springsteel’s longtime friend Gary Ohlman appointed him executor and beneficiary in his will dated in 2007.
So, it came as a shock when a few months ago, Springsteel learned his friend had passed away in November 2012 – he searched for a death announcement, but couldn’t find one.
“There was nothing, I just got blindsided by it,” Springsteel said.
The man attempted to deal with Ohlman’s estate, but he told CTV News he wasn’t prepared for what the banker told him when he tried.
“I would suggest you get a lawyer, because there’s another will in play here,” Springsteel said the banker told him.
The new will was drafted in early 2012. While CTV News has seen a copy of the will that is in court records, we were not allowed to have our own copy of it.
In the new will, dated February 2012, Ohlman appointed Michael Steinberg as executor and residual beneficiary.
Where CTV’s investigation began
CTV’s investigation of Steinberg’s actions began more than a year ago, after Bill Hannah complained to CTV’s Laura Lowe that he had paid more than quoted for a will.
Hannah was estranged from his family, like Ohlman – in that case, Steinberg allegedly convinced Hannah to sign a power of attorney, handing over control of his assets to a complete stranger, who was Steinberg’s friend.
After that, CTV News continued to investigate, and found Steinberg used to be known as James Michael Bomek, a disbarred lawyer from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, who spent several years behind bars.
He was jailed after being convicted of sexually assaultingseveral clients, sexually touching a child and influencing a judge – in late 2012, Steinberg declined an on-camera interview with CTV News.
However, in a phone interview, Steinberg said no one forced Hannah to agree to the terms.
“Everyone has to make choices and I wasn’t doing anything dishonest or illegal I was trying to assist a gentleman, that’s all,” Steinberg said.
Charges laid against Steinberg
It appears the province does have a problem with Steinberg’s actions,accusing him of operating without a direct seller’s licence – required under provincial law when a deal is completed, or pitched at a customer’s home.
In June 2013, he was charged with two counts under the Fair Trading Act for allegedly ignoring an order issued in November, to stop operating without a licence.
Steinberg will have to face those charges in provincial court, in addition, he’s objecting to court action initiated by Springsteel, who is trying to invalidate Ohlman’s 2012 will – that leaves control of assets to Steinberg.
In court documents, Steinberg defends the will, maintaining the deceased was “of sound mind and had a testamentary capacity at the time of execution.”
Springsteel alleges Steinberg influenced Ohlman to sign the will, and he wants Ohlman’s property, including his ashes.
According to an affidavit, Ohlman’s ashes are sitting on the mantle, in the deceased man’s home – where Steinberg is living.
“I just don’t like the fact that somebody was wronged like this,” Springsteel said. “You just take somebody, dust them off the face of this earth, take what they had and keep running.”
The Ohlman case remains before the courts. If he’s convicted, Steinberg could face up to $300,000 in fines, and a maximum of two years behind bars – for each count.
As for Hannah’s encounter with Steinberg, he ended up hiring another lawyer, and wrote a new will.
With files from CTV’s Laura Lowe
