South Dakota lawyer gets more than two years in prison for fraud

August 4, 2021

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A disbarred South Dakota lawyer who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and other counts for allegedly stealing nearly $144,000 from a dead man’s estate has been sentenced to more than two years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Viken also ordered Rena Hymans, of Vale, to repay the money she stole.

Hymans, who practiced law in Sturgis, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of bank fraud.

Prosecutors say she stole the money from the estate of Leo Drillig, who was murdered in Germany.