Eric Lenzen is a former Milwaukee corporate lawyer and Big Law partner who was sentenced in October 2024 to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to pay federal income taxes. He admitted owing more than $3.9 million in unpaid taxes, interest, and penalties for tax years 2016 through 2021. Prosecutors said that while the debt grew, he kept spending on private planes, jewelry, and golf club memberships, and lied to IRS employees about his ability to pay.1Bloomberg Tax. Husch, Dykema Ex-Partner Sentenced to 16 Months on Tax Crimes
Before the charges, Lenzen led Husch Blackwell’s financial services and capital markets industry group.2Husch Blackwell. Financial Services and Capital Markets News In January 2022 he moved to Dykema Gossett as senior counsel, and he left that firm on April 15, 2024, shortly before charges were filed. A Dykema spokesperson said he departed “prior to the firm’s knowledge of the personal tax-related misdemeanor charges recently filed against Mr. Lenzen.”3ABA Journal. Former BigLaw Partner Agrees to Plead Guilty to Failing to Pay Taxes
The Charges and Guilty Plea
On April 30, 2024, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Wisconsin filed a two-count Information charging Lenzen with willfully failing to pay income taxes, each count a Class A misdemeanor. The case was docketed as United States v. Lenzen, No. 2:24-cr-00090.4Court Listener. United States v. Lenzen
The two counts pinned to specific years. Count 1 covered tax year 2016, when Lenzen earned about $1.16 million and owed $171,031. Count 2 covered tax year 2020, when he earned about $2.24 million and owed $868,499. He had filed returns for those years but did not pay what he owed. Under the plea agreement he accepted restitution of at least $3.9 million, covering unpaid taxes, interest, and penalties for 2016 through 2021.3ABA Journal. Former BigLaw Partner Agrees to Plead Guilty to Failing to Pay Taxes He entered guilty pleas to both counts on May 22, 2024, before Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin.4Court Listener. United States v. Lenzen
What Prosecutors Said He Did
In an October 2024 sentencing memorandum, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Stewart described the conduct as “an extended course of conduct” in which Lenzen “repeatedly lied to IRS employees” and “moved and transferred money so that he could avoid paying taxes while continuing to enjoy living extravagantly.”5Above the Law. Ex-BigLaw Partner Sentenced to Time Behind Bars After Pleading Guilty to Tax Crimes
The government pointed to spending on private planes, jewelry, and golf club memberships during the same period the tax debt was building. That pattern, prosecutors argued, “belies any notion that defendant’s failure to pay his taxes was the result of a mistake or a series of foolish, but good faith, expressions of hope” about his ability to pay.1Bloomberg Tax. Husch, Dykema Ex-Partner Sentenced to 16 Months on Tax Crimes
Sentence and Restitution
On October 15, 2024, Magistrate Judge Duffin sentenced Lenzen to eight months of imprisonment on each count, running consecutively, for a total of 16 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release. The court later finalized a restitution order of $4,204,504.05 payable to the IRS.4Court Listener. United States v. Lenzen
IRS Sale of His Mequon Home
On April 3, 2025, the IRS auctioned Lenzen’s home at 118 E. Springwood Court in Mequon, Wisconsin, at the Ozaukee County Courthouse. The minimum bid was set at $990,000. Four registered bidders took part, and the property sold for $1,245,000. The buyer’s identity was not disclosed.6Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. IRS Sells Suspended Milwaukee Lawyer’s Mequon Home for $1,245,000
Loss of His Law License
The conviction triggered discipline in Wisconsin. The Office of Lawyer Regulation moved for summary suspension under Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule 22.20, citing the two misdemeanor guilty pleas.7Wisconsin Courts. Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Eric E. Lenzen, No. 2025XX196-D On February 3, 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered Lenzen to show cause within 20 days why his license should not be suspended. He did not respond by the February 24 deadline. On April 10, 2025, the court granted the OLR’s motion and suspended his license effective immediately, in effect “until further notice of this court.”8CaseMine. Office of Lawyer Regulation v. Eric E. Lenzen, April 10, 2025
Where He Is Now
As of July 2025, Lenzen was in Bureau of Prisons custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Thompson, Illinois.9CaseMine. United States v. Lenzen, July 15, 2025 Based on the 16-month sentence, his release falls sometime in 2026, though no exact projected date has been publicly disclosed. His Wisconsin law license remains suspended indefinitely, and the $4,204,504.05 restitution debt to the IRS remains outstanding, offset in part by the $1,245,000 from the sale of the Mequon house.