Disbarred Attorney Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Injured Athletes

A disbarred New Orleans attorney who once represented professional athletes in their workers' compensation claims may spend up to two decades in prison for having admittedly stolen $462,615 in benefits his clients were due for their sports-related injuries. Robert L. Hackett, 67, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of federal mail fraud. He also agreed to pay restitution to the four unnamed victims, who were described in the factual basis for his plea as former hockey and football players who had suffered "career-ending" injuries.State Bar disciplinary hearings against Hackett in 2010...