The one thing that Daniel Muessig cannot be accused of is false advertising. The Pennsylvania attorney became something of a sensation after his 3½-minute video featured his tag line “Trust me, I may have a law degree, but I think like a criminal.” That was more true than many assumed. Muessig has now pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute hundreds of pounds of marijuana in April and May 2019.
Muessig, 39, was nailed in a 2019 investigation by the FBI into drug trafficking in the Pittsburgh area. According to the Post-Gazette the FBI tapped one of the phones used by Chadlin Leavy, a heroin and cocaine supplier for a Pittsburgh street gang. During the surveillance, agents spotted Muessig enter an apartment with a backpack. Muessig and another man were later spotted carrying two boxes out of the apartment building and putting them into a Dodge Ram. The boxes were later found to contain $400,000. Inside the apartment, they found boxes containing 404 pounds of marijuana.
In his viral video, Muessig and friends acted out various crimes. In one scene, two guys cocked their guns, pulled masks over their faces and took off to rob someone. But before they left, however, they smiled and gave two thumbs up to the camera. “Thanks Dan!” Muessig then announced that he was the lawyer “Pittsburgh criminals hire when they commit crimes.”
It appears that he later decided to eliminate the middle men and just commit the crimes himself.
Muessig is now on administrative suspension from practicing law, according to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s disciplinary board website.