A prominent Duncan lawyer found himself on the wrong side of the law and on Thursday, September 18, stood accused of embezzlement and forgery. On Wednesday, September 24, investigators found him dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
Prosecutors said the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said he spent nearly $150,000 that belonged to a client. The prosecution says he was holding the money for a family's estate, but when they tried to get it back, it was gone.
Barnes' body was found at Washita Point in the Lake Texoma area, and he appeared to have been dead for several days. Authorities say that after Barnes posted bail, he went missing, and the OSBI feared he was on the run or had harmed himself. They say no foul play is suspected at this time.
Barnes had filed an application to resign from the bar, which means to give up his law license, and discontinued his practice. According to court records, Barnes was hired in February, 2007, to handle the probate of Faye Glenn's estate. Her checking account was transferred to Barnes' Attorney Trust Account at BancFirst in Duncan.
According to Stephens County District Attorney Bret Burns, despite the fact that Barnes was supposed to reimburse $150,000 to the executor of the state, Barnes had yet to do so after the probate period ended.
Burns said: "So there was a large sum of money just sitting there, They had been asking for that money back for the past year and they got different excuses, until they finally found out it was gone."
Full Article and Source:
Duncan lawyer accused of embezzlement found dead
See also:
Probate Attorney Jailed
Prosecutors said the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said he spent nearly $150,000 that belonged to a client. The prosecution says he was holding the money for a family's estate, but when they tried to get it back, it was gone.
Barnes' body was found at Washita Point in the Lake Texoma area, and he appeared to have been dead for several days. Authorities say that after Barnes posted bail, he went missing, and the OSBI feared he was on the run or had harmed himself. They say no foul play is suspected at this time.
Barnes had filed an application to resign from the bar, which means to give up his law license, and discontinued his practice. According to court records, Barnes was hired in February, 2007, to handle the probate of Faye Glenn's estate. Her checking account was transferred to Barnes' Attorney Trust Account at BancFirst in Duncan.
According to Stephens County District Attorney Bret Burns, despite the fact that Barnes was supposed to reimburse $150,000 to the executor of the state, Barnes had yet to do so after the probate period ended.
Burns said: "So there was a large sum of money just sitting there, They had been asking for that money back for the past year and they got different excuses, until they finally found out it was gone."
Full Article and Source:
Duncan lawyer accused of embezzlement found dead
See also:
Probate Attorney Jailed
6 comments:
Charles Barnes decided to avoid public humiliation and outrage. He became his own judge and jury, sentencing himself to death for his crimes.
It's sad -- sad what he did and sad that he paid the ultimate price.
Perhaps he did have a conscience after all.
You said it very well, Sylvia!
Barnes was like a kid in a candy store, he couldn't control himself from taking advantage of the vulneraable. There's a good probability he'd done this before to other volnerable clients. Barns killed himself because he's a COWARD. I hope he spends eternity in HELL with the rest of these theifs who think the new way to get rich is to steal from the volnerable under the legal guise of PROTECTING them......how evil!
yeah its good to see he had a consiece
This comment might sound harsh but it fits the situation: how does the victim, the client get their money back from a dead lawyer?
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