Marc Lakin: Federal Defense Attorney Legal Misconduct and Lethal Harm
This public record outlines serious professional misconduct by Attorney Marc R. Lakin (P41147) regarding his representation of Conrad Rockenhaus, a disabled veteran. Lakin exploited his client’s combat-related Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to coerce a guilty plea, despite possessing exculpatory evidence of Rockenhaus’s innocence. Furthermore, Lakin created a “constitutional crisis” caused by his refusal to withdraw from the case for 42 days after being fired, a delay which blocked anyone from intervening. Marc Lakin’s made false claims to the court that he was out of the country during this period. He also used his personal relationship with the presiding judge (Judge Stephen J. Murphy III) to intimidate the Rockenhaus family.
Marc Lakin’s lies and failures left Conrad Rockenhaus unrepresented in the FCI Milan Detention Facility. This has escalated to a situation where Conrad is now painfully seizing to death, from an untreated head injury, that was inflicted during the violent and illegal raid on Adrienne Rockenhaus’s home on September 4, 2025. The BOP will not treat Conrad Rockenhaus’s head injury, and are knowingly and willingly letting him die slowly in excruciating pain, while also having their guards who display Neo-Nazi tattoos chemically torture him, and physically beat him. Warden Eric Rardin, and Associate Warden Mary Strassel, are deliberately murdering Conrad Rockenhaus, inside the SHU at FCI Milan. They are murdering him, because to do otherwise, would be to admit the multiple gruesome felonies that the U.S. Marshals, the probation officers, the judges, and the DOJ (namely, U.S. Attorneys Jerome Gorgon and Corinne Lambert) have all committed in this case.
Please click to read an important Emergency Update from Adrienne Rockenhaus.
Lakin Logjam: How Attorney Marc Lakin Exploited a Disabled Veteran’s TBI
WATCH VIDEO: The ‘Lakin Logjam’: How Attorney Marc Lakin Exploited a Disabled Veteran’s TBI – Rockenhaus Tragedy – Sleep4Real
UPDATE 12-27-2025: Lakin’s Perjury and the “Deadly Delay”
New evidence proves Attorney Marc Lakin lied to the U.S. District Court to cover up his abandonment of a disabled client.
On October 2, 2025, nearly six weeks after he was fired, Marc Lakin finally filed a Motion to Withdraw. In this sworn court filing, he attempted to excuse his negligence by making a verifiable false statement to Federal Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III.
The Lie: “I Was Out of the Country”
In his motion, Lakin officially stated to the court:
“While defense counsel was on vacation out of the country, Rockenhaus began making demands for defense counsel to withdraw”.
This is a lie. Text message records confirm that on the exact days Conrad was demanding he withdraw (August 20-21, 2025), Lakin was not “out of the country.” He was in Michigan, actively soliciting money and scheduling meetings.
- August 20 (8:20 PM): Lakin texted: “I think it would be wise if you were in my office on Friday… Or I will be in the Redford area tomorrow morning around 11 o’clock”.
- August 21 (7:21 AM): Lakin texted: “I am heading to my office as we discussed… have you paid the invoice?”.
Lakin was not on vacation; he was in Redford, Michigan, demanding payment from a family in crisis.
The “Deadly Delay” (August 21 – October 2)
The evidence shows that Conrad Rockenhaus’s wife, Adrienne Rockenhaus, explicitly instructed Marc Lakin to withdraw on August 21, 2025 so that the Federal Public Defender could step in:
“You actually need to file a motion to withdraw… Please do that as soon as possible.”.
Instead of complying, Lakin waited 42 days to file the motion.
- During those 42 days: Conrad was locked in the Milan Detention Facility without active legal counsel.
- The Consequence: This delay procedurally blocked the Federal Defenders from acting, leaving a veteran with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) undefended while his health deteriorated in prison.
How SAUSA Corinne Lambert Exploited the Gap
This 42-day obstruction created a “legal no-man’s land” that the prosecution used to their advantage.
While Lakin paralyzed the defense by refusing to step aside, SAUSA Corinne Lambert continued to drive the case forward against an effectively unrepresented defendant.
She was aware of the breakdown in counsel yet pressed on with the aggressive timeline, ensuring that Conrad remained vulnerable, voiceless, and slowly dying in pain in the Milan, Michigan Detention Facility.
Download the Motion to Withdraw here.
Download the Text Message Evidence that Marc Lakin Lied.
Marc R. Lakin (Detroit) was the retained attorney for Conrad Rockenhaus. Instead of providing a defense, Mr. Lakin exploited his client’s combat-related disability, coerced a guilty plea despite possessing evidence of his innocence. He then refused to withdraw from the case, single-handedly creating a constitutional crisis that left a disabled veteran jailed with no legal representation. This page contains the public record of his misconduct.
The Coerced Plea: Betraying a Client with a TBI
On May 7, 2025, six days before a critical hearing, Mr. Lakin was provided with a detailed document containing point-by-point exculpatory evidence refuting every one of the probation office’s allegations.
However, on May 13, 2025, just moments before the hearing, Mr. Lakin separated Conrad from his wife, ambushed him, and threatened him with more jail time if he did not plead guilty. This was a deliberate exploitation of Conrad’s known combat-related Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
The Refusal to Withdraw and Unethical Threats
After being fired in August 2025, Mr. Lakin refused to file a motion to withdraw from the case. Instead, he sent a series of harassing text messages, making manipulative financial demands and issuing a direct threat, stating that if forced to file a motion, he “would have to state the reasons, which frankly might put you in a bad light”.
He also repeatedly and improperly cited his personal friendship with the presiding judge, Stephen J. Murphy, III, as a basis for potential outcomes.
Creating a Constitutional Crisis
Mr. Lakin’s refusal to withdraw directly caused the ongoing Sixth Amendment crisis. His inaction procedurally barred the Federal Public Defender’s office from formally representing Conrad, even after they were appointed by the court. His refusal forces the new public defender to waste valuable time filing motions to have him removed, time that should be spent addressing Conrad’s urgent medical needs and legal defense. Mr. Lakin’s actions continue to cause direct harm.
The Evidence
The Exculpatory Evidence Provided to Lakin (May 7, 2025): The detailed defense summary proving Mr. Lakin knew his client was innocent when he coerced the guilty plea.
Timeline of Misconduct: A detailed timeline of Mr. Lakin’s unethical actions, including direct quotes from his harassing text messages, is available.
Formal Grievance: The formal “Request for Investigation” filed against Mr. Lakin with the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission.
Conrad’s Pro Se Motion: Conrad’s own plea to the court, as well as an addendum, to have Mr. Lakin removed after Lakin refused to withdraw. Judge Murphy III denied Conrad’s please in a Order to Strike, leaving Conrad without representation for weeks during a legal crisis. The judge also selectively left out the part of Conrad’s plea stating he was 100% disabled.