A New Mexico divorce lawyer who reportedly broke into the home of his client's ex-husband is still practicing law.
In an exclusive surveillance video obtained by New Mexico's KOB Eyewitness News 4 and posted Monday, divorce attorney Raymond Van Arnam is shown raiding a house belonging to his client's estranged husband. He broke into the home despite "no trespassing" signs posted on the property.
"He thought there would be no video surveillance in here but he was wrong," the estranged husband, Anthony Stonecipher, said in an interview with the local news channel.
Van Arman, who's seen in the video taking legal papers belonging to Stonecipher, entered a plea deal on four criminal counts including criminal tresspassing, criminal damage to property and larceny, according to KOB Eyewitness News 4's report. Earlier this year, the state's disciplinary board attempted to immediately suspend the attorney's law license and provided a copy of the video to the State Supreme Court.
But according to the news station, the court is allowing Van Arnam to continue practicing law until he's sentenced, citing the lawyer's right to due process.
Van Arman isn't the first attorney to act outside the law. In March 2010, Newsday reported that Long Island, NY divorce lawyer Dominic Barbara, who's represented Joey Buttafuoco and Michael Lohan in the past, was arrested after he approached his ex-wife in a bagel shop, violating an order of protection she had against him. And in July 2009, NBC San Diego filed a report on the release of a La Jolla, Calif. family law and adoption lawyer who had been accused of trying to hire someone to kill his ex-wife. (The attorney was let go for lack of evidence to prosecute beyond a reasonable doubt, NBC San Diego reported at the time.)
Watch the video above to see the report on Van Arman.