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Attorney Gets Prison Sentence for Shooting Into Another Lawyer's Office

By William Vogeler, Esq. on January 28, 2019 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

There's nothing funny about recklessly shooting at people. It's a tragedy that seems to happen far too often.

So when attorney Erik Graeff was arrested for shooting into another lawyer's office, he got what he deserved: 18 months in prison. But it started with a bad joke.

Graeff, apparently tired of complaints from his colleague, sent him an email with a picture of a cat playing a violin.

Playing a Violin

According to reports, Graeff and attorney Terrance Hogan had an argument about a case they handled together. Hogan didn't like the violin cat email and responded: "You know where I am tough guy."

Later that night, somebody fired six shots into Hogan's office building. One bullet struck a computer monitor, narrowly missing the receptionist.

Investigators searched Graeff's house and found the tell-tale gun. Fast-forward one year, and Graeff was sentenced for recklessly endangering another person.

He was also ordered to undergo two years of supervised release, including programs for mental health and alcohol treatments. Unfortunately for Graeff, that's not the end of the story.

More to the Story

When the police searched his home for the gun, they also found chemicals, glass cookware, and containers of methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine. In other words, it looked like Graeff had a meth lab in his basement.

He was charged with unlawful manufacturing of methamphetamine. Those charges are pending.

There is no real moral to this story; it's just sad. But a word of caution: be careful with the violin cat email.

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