At long last, Prenda mastermind hit with state bar complaint

The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) has filed a complaint against John Steele, one of two lawyers believed to be the masterminds behind the Prenda Law copyright-trolling scheme.

In the complaint, ARDC asks for a panel hearing and a disciplinary recommendation, which will be transmitted to the Illinois Supreme Court. That court has the power to suspend and disbar attorneys.

This amended complaint has become public more than two years after US District Judge Otis Wright blasted Steele and his Prenda colleagues, referring them to state bar investigators (as well as the IRS and Department of Justice.) But it's clear the Illinois investigation has been going on for some time, as it includes detailed information related to several of Prenda's best-known cases.