In the Matter of John Weimann Oxendine

907 S.E.2d 852, 320 Ga. 190

• Court: Supreme Court of Georgia
• Decided: October 22, 2024
• Docket: S25Y0045
• Status: Published

Opinion

320 Ga. 190 FINAL COPY

S25Y0045. IN THE MATTER OF JOHN WEIMANN OXENDINE.

PER CURIAM.

This disciplinary matter is before the Court on the petition for

voluntary surrender of license filed by John Weimann Oxendine

(State Bar No. 558155). Oxendine, who has been a member of the

State Bar of Georgia since 1987, pled guilty in March 2024 pursuant

to a negotiated agreement to one count of conspiracy to commit

health care fraud, in violation of 18 USC § 1347, a felony, in the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

He was sentenced in July 2024 to 42 months of incarceration,

followed by three years of supervised release, plus fines, a special

assessment, and more than $750,000 in restitution. In his petition

for voluntary surrender, Oxendine admits that he is subject to Bar

Rule 4-106 (setting procedures for handling disciplinary matters

related to an attorney’s conviction of a crime) and that, by virtue of

his felony conviction, he violated Rule 8.4 (a) (2) (lawyer shall not be convicted of a felony) of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct

(“GRPC”), see Bar Rule 4-102 (d), the maximum penalty for which is

disbarment. Based on those admissions, Oxendine requests that the

Court accept his petition to voluntarily surrender his license to

practice law, which is tantamount to disbarment. See GRPC 1.0 (s).

The State Bar has responded, raising no objection to Oxendine’s

petition and stating its belief that it would be in the best interest of

the public and the legal profession for the Court to accept the

petition.

We have reviewed the record and agree that acceptance of

Oxendine’s petition for voluntary surrender of his license is in the

best interests of the Bar and the public and is consistent with prior

similar cases. See, e.g., In the Matter of Hardwick, 315 Ga. 840, 840

(884 SE2d 893) (2023); In the Matter of Fudge, 301 Ga. 793, 793 (804

SE2d 59) (2017); In the Matter of Gibson, 298 Ga. 437 (782 SE2d

442) (2016). Accordingly, the name of John Weimann Oxendine is

hereby removed from the rolls of persons entitled to practice law in

2 the State of Georgia. Oxendine is reminded of his duties under Bar

Rule 4-219 (b).

Voluntary surrender of license accepted. All the Justices concur.

Decided October 22, 2024.

Voluntary surrender of license.

Akin & Tate, S. Lester Tate III, for Oxendine.

Paula J. Frederick, General Counsel State Bar, William D.

NeSmith III, Deputy General Counsel State Bar, Andreea N.

Morrison, Wolanda R. Shelton, Assistant General Counsel State Bar,

for State Bar of Georgia.