SPRINGFIELD — An Easthampton attorney pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to defrauding clients, investment firms and commercial lenders out of millions of dollars over the past six years.

Phillip R. Williams, 49, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to 15 counts of wire fraud; two counts of engaging in financial transactions with more than $10,000 of the proceeds derived from criminal activity; six counts of money laundering; and two counts of tax fraud, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for Massachusetts.

The charges carry sentences of up to 20 years in prison. Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26.

As a licensed attorney, Williams maintained various bank accounts in which he was required to hold funds for the exclusive benefit of his clients, according to prosecutors. In 2014, Williams made numerous personal transactions with $453,695 from one of these bank accounts. The money belonged to two people who had originally transferred funds into the account for the purposes of getting a bank loan.

According to prosecutors’ statement, Williams failed to report the stolen money on his 2014 federal income tax return.

Between April 14, 2015 and Nov. 1, 2017, Williams was given $230,500 from a client in three checks for the purposes of purchasing land, the statement read. Williams instead used the money for himself, and in 2018, he sent emails to his client that falsely stated he had used the money to buy land.

Williams also fraudulently obtained loans in the name of a client and his company from two commercial lenders between June 2, 2017, and October 17, 2018. According to the statement, Williams falsely witnessed or notarized his unaware client’s signature, after which he received $340,000 and $334,000 from the two lenders. The statement said Williams also took four wire transfers of loan proceeds totaling $379,888 that he spent for his own personal use.

In February 2019, after one of the lenders sought repayment, Williams sent fraudulent emails attaching a mortgage to his home that bore the falsely notarized and forged signature of his ex-wife, a false pre-approval letter for a loan to his mother that also bore a false signature, and a false power of attorney that had the forged signature of his client, the statement said.

Between Feb. 1 and March 31 of this year, Williams defrauded a private investment firm of approximately $1.1 million and tried to defraud another firm of around $1.2 million, both of which concerned his purchase of property in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Finally, between Jan. 16 and March 2, Williams tried to defraud three other commercial lenders by obtaining three loans of $1.365 million, $1.35 million, and $1.7 million, either on behalf of his client or to purchase property in Boston for himself.

According to the statement, the charges of wire fraud and money laundering provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of engaging in financial transactions greater than $10,000 provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The tax fraud charges can provide up to three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $100,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow is prosecuting the case.

Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.