Asheville attorney accused of fraud keeps practicing amid delays

An Asheville attorney accused in a widening real-estate fraud case has kept practicing in western North Carolina for four years after the first felony charges were filed, leaving Buncombe County clients to trust a system that has moved far more slowly than the allegations.

Ilesanmi Adaramola was arrested in 2022 along with Lisa K. Roberts and was initially charged with six counts of notary fraud, a felony. The case later moved to a state special prosecutor, and a Buncombe grand jury in March indicted Adaramola, Robert Perry Tucker II and Lisa Roberts-Allen on two counts each of obtaining property by false pretenses and two counts of felony conspiracy. In separate 2026 reporting, Tucker was sentenced to prison while Adaramola and Roberts-Allen were still awaiting trial.

The delay matters because Adaramola has remained able to practice law while the criminal cases and related proceedings have dragged on. Recent hearings raised questions about her mental capacity, a complication that can slow a final resolution even as the underlying charges remain active. Under North Carolina law, the question of whether a defendant can proceed may be raised at any time by the prosecutor, the defense, the defendant or the court.

That slow pace has exposed a gap between criminal court action and professional oversight. The North Carolina State Bar says it regulates attorney conduct and protects the integrity of the legal profession through grievances, probable-cause findings, formal complaints and disability proceedings. Its rules allow a lawyer to be transferred to disability inactive status if there is probable cause to believe the lawyer is disabled. They also require disbarred or suspended attorneys to notify clients in pending matters and advise them to seek other counsel, but those protections do not take effect until discipline is imposed.

For people in Asheville and across Buncombe County who hire lawyers for real-estate, probate or other property matters, the practical question is whether the attorney is currently eligible to practice. The State Bar’s public membership directory shows whether a lawyer holds an active license in North Carolina and links to final disciplinary orders when they exist. That is the quickest way to verify status before handing over money, signing a closing statement or relying on advice in a high-stakes transaction.

The Adaramola case has become more than a criminal docket. It is a test of whether the courts and the State Bar can respond quickly enough when a lawyer is accused of using the legal system itself in alleged property-fraud schemes, and whether the public has enough protection while those cases inch forward.