Laidley surrenders law license

Forrest David Laidley of Libertyville surrendered his law license to an Illinois agency that oversees attorneys before he reported for a federal prison sentence last month. The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission had been pursuing a misconduct case against Laidley, 66, before he gave up his license Jan. 19 and disbarred himself.

At one time, Laidley was a prominent real-estate lawyer who served the Archdiocese of Chicago and built the Village Green mall near Milwaukee Avenue and Route 22 in Lincolnshire through his Forrest Properties Inc. He’s serving a five-year prison sentence for scamming investors and financial institutions through what federal prosecutors said was a Ponzi-style operation for retail and office projects.

He pleaded guilty to one count each of mail and bank fraud. He was accused of fleecing investors of more than $9 million from 1999 to 2004.