Prosecutors seek 3-year prison sentence for med mal attorney Stephen Snyder

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Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence Stephen Snyder, the prominent medical malpractice attorney who was convicted of attempted extortion last fall, to three years in prison.

A jury convicted Snyder in November of attempting to extort the University of Maryland Medical System for $25 million. He threatened to destroy the UMMS transplant division with a media smear campaign alleging it prioritized profit over patient safety if the hospital didn’t agree to a consulting agreement prosecutors called a “sham.”

In addition to one count of Hobbs Act attempted extortion, he was found guilty of seven related counts under the Travel Act.

Prosecutors asked U.S. District Court Judge Deborah Boardman to sentence him to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. They also asked her to impose a $100,000 fine and a $100 special assessment for each of the eight counts.

“Snyder’s crimes threatened the reputation of a health care institution that provides lifesaving transplants,” the government’s sentencing memorandum, dated March 19, states.

“The Court’s sentence should reflect the gravity of Snyder’s conduct. In addition to the substantive crimes that he committed, Snyder’s conduct during trial demonstrated disrespect and hostility towards the criminal justice process. He treated the witnesses and the Court with disrespect. He attacked and mocked witnesses, and he ignored orders from the Court. The Court should impose a significant sentence that promotes respect for the law.”

At trial, Snyder — who represented himself — repeatedly interrupted and spoke rudely to Boardman. He attempted to insert his own testimony into his questioning of witnesses and did not heed Boardman’s repeated admonitions to follow the rules of evidence.

After the trial concluded, Boardman held him in contempt of court for his violation of court orders, waiting until the jury left to hold an emergency contempt hearing. He was incarcerated overnight and convicted the next morning.

Snyder subsequently moved to vacate the conviction and elevate his standby counsel, Gerald Ruter, to lead counsel. Ruter wrote in the motion that Snyder was in significant cognitive and physical decline, and was not fit to represent himself. A magistrate judge rejected the motion, saying it was “not sincere,” and disqualified Ruter from representing him because he may be asked to testify as to Snyder’s mental capacity.

The magistrate appointed Justin Brown to serve as standby counsel. Snyder then hired Brown as lead counsel. It’s not clear why he was allowed to hire Brown as lead counsel after being ordered to continue representing himself. Brown was not available for a call on Monday afternoon.

The case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Phelps and Evelyn Cusson.

Snyder is scheduled to be sentenced April 2.

“The Court’s sentence should send a deterrent message to attorneys who seek to exploit their client relationships and abuse their license for their own personal gain,” the sentencing memorandum states. “Such conduct cannot be countenanced and attorneys who abuse their position should face serious punishment in federal court.”

Later on Monday, Snyder filed his own sentencing letter with a motion to seal. Brown argued the motion should be sealed because it contains “private and personal information that should not be disseminated to the public” as well as “extensive references to Snyder’s health and medical records.”

This story was updated after Snyder filed his sentencing letter and motion to seal.