Court revokes lawyer's license for theft

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The state Supreme Court has revoked a Brookfield attorney's license after he was convicted of stealing more than half-a-million dollars from Milwaukee County.
 
The court said in a revocation order Tuesday that Thomas Bielinski hurt the integrity of the court system.
 
Prosecutors accused the 53-year-old Bielinski in 2011 of defrauding the county out of $542,000. They say he targeted mortgage foreclosure cases in which the owners had failed to file claims for surplus funds. He claimed to represent the owners, filed claims on their behalf and kept the money for himself.
 
He pleaded guilty this past February to one felony count of theft and was sentenced to five years in prison.
 
His attorney, Michael Hart, declined comment except to say Bielinski has cooperated with authorities.