’97 Beaumont, Texas – Dumb and Dumber Award
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In October 1993, Beaumont attorney Michael Mooney behaved badly … like the word meaning “donkey,” but it starts with an “a.”
Mooney represented 30-year-old Troy Lincoln in a parole revocation hearing, and they lost. His client had been on parole for a drug trafficking conviction, and he was on his way back to jail without passing “Go” or collecting $200.
After Lincoln was incarcerated again, his attorney did what any lawyer without a shred of ethics would do … he began living with his imprisoned client’s wife.
Dorothy Lincoln, who was 36 at the time, moved in with Mooney. (About this, I just have to say, “What in the cornbread hell!!??”)
When Child Protective Services began an investigation regarding custody of the child, the attorney suggested he would take temporary custody of the couple’s child, and he prepared the legal documents to do so.
Mooney’s former client didn’t care for that arrangement, and Mr. Lincoln refused to sign over temporary custody from his prison cell. Prosecutor Ramone Rodriguez said Mooney forged the signature of Troy Lincoln in October 1993 to gain custody of the child.
Attorney Mooney was tried in December 1997 for this monkey business, and a jury found him guilty of tampering with evidence. Mooney’s lawyer, Tom Barton, said he and Mooney were stunned by the jury’s decision Tuesday and would appeal. (Do y’all think Barton and Mooney were REALLY stunned?)
Mooney and Barton claimed it was done in retaliation. They said Mr. Lincoln was angry that his lawyer hadn’t prevented the revocation of his parole; Lincoln had told Michael Mooney that he would get even with him.
Unfortunately, Mooney, a former private investigator and bail bondsman, had already had problems with the state bar. He had been suspended for five years after he was accused of neglecting his duties toward many clients in cases ranging from divorce to child support.
After the 1997 trial, the attorney was to be sentenced in a January 1998 hearing. He faced up to 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine and permanent disbarment. There are no sources that tell of what happened in January at his sentencing. However, today (in 2026), the State Bar of Texas’ website states he no longer holds a license to practice in Texas.
And that’s how Mr. Mooney earned Vintage Texas Crimes’ award for “Dumb Criminal and Dumber Attorney – 1997.
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Please note that the last names of all mentioned have been changed in my post. Here’s why—I’m NOT dumb like the attorney above. When I started researching the disbarred attorney’s name, the name of one of his relatives popped up and remains closely linked to Mooney. That person is a successful attorney who probably would not appreciate seeing this information published on social media if linked to that attorney’s name. (A Google search will pull up both the criminal’s name and the successful lawyer’s name when you input either of them — don’t poke the bear.)
So, I’m changing the names as I do occasionally rather than FAFO. The story is 100% real; articles appeared in both the Houston Chronicle and the Orange Leader in December 1997.
Have a good one!