Henrico County Circuit Judge George F. Tidey found that the most convincing evidence in the case was the amount of missing money, about $513,000.
Tidey sentenced disbarred lawyer Michael D. Hancock to two years in prison, suspending 13 of the 15 years he initially imposed for three embezzlement charges.
Hancock pleaded guilty to pilfering the money from three trust accounts that he controlled; a year ago, he began assisting investigators in unraveling a scheme that apparently had no objective other than keeping Hancock's practice going, according to evidence in the case. He agreed to surrender his law license Oct. 24 last year.
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Hanover man sentenced for stealing more than $500,000 from trusts he controlled
Tidey sentenced disbarred lawyer Michael D. Hancock to two years in prison, suspending 13 of the 15 years he initially imposed for three embezzlement charges.
Hancock pleaded guilty to pilfering the money from three trust accounts that he controlled; a year ago, he began assisting investigators in unraveling a scheme that apparently had no objective other than keeping Hancock's practice going, according to evidence in the case. He agreed to surrender his law license Oct. 24 last year.
Full Article and Source:
Hanover man sentenced for stealing more than $500,000 from trusts he controlled
8 comments:
And that's only the beginning!
Hungry lawyers will be tapping the till in order to survive!
What is the Organized Bar planning to do before the worst occurs?
Ban outsourcing? Monitor practices? Freeze IOLTA accounts?
2 years in prison - that's all? What a soft, lenient, merciful sentence for someone who does not deserve any consideration in a posotion of trust, who got caught breaking that trust.
QUESTION: Heck, for $513,000 TAX FREE! how many would risk doing a couple years (most likely getting released 6 months for good behavior)?
This is not an isolated case. This attorney money making scheme is going on nationwide.
QUESTION: Did the felon Michael D Hancock claim this windfall on his IRS taxes?
People trust a trust account -- it's stories like this that should scare their socks off.
It amazes me that people think if they apologize, it erases what they did.
His apology would be more believable if he said he'd work three jobs - anything to pay back the people he robbed!a
Most of these low life street thug lawyers don't get caught stealing money but when they do the judges should throw their chairs, gavels and benches at these greedy snakes.
Wake up America!
We have more to fear than foreign terrorists destroying our lives - we have our own terrorists within - LAWYERS! protected by the Bar Associations.
2 years in prison for stealing
$500,000 as an Agent of the Court!
That's it? What about restitution to his victims? Lawyers should have to take out a BOND for escrowing estate funds to protect
victims. This is despicable behavior. Thankfully he was disbarred. Does that mean he can move to another state and open up practice?
Bring back the Scarlet Letter - brand the crooks like cattle for the whole world to see.
I agree with Sue, "Bring back the Scarlet Letter - brand the crooks like cattle for the whole world to see."
I think the brand should be on their faces, so that when they look in the mirror, they'll be reminded daily of what they are, and it would also be visible to the rest of the world.
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