A prominent local attorney and non-profit board member has been arrested and charged with corrupt business influence and theft amid allegations he took more than $100,000from his clients’ trust fund accounts.
Arrested Thursday, Daniel E. Serban, 53, is accused of failing to distribute money paid into Serban Law Office’s Trust Account to the appropriate clients or to those entitled by court order to receive it. According to court documents, the behavior continued from January 2006 until Tuesday.
Both charges are felonies, and if convicted, Serban could serve two or more years in prison.
Attorneys are required to keep escrow-type accounts where money either coming from or going to their clients will be kept. Those accounts are to be treated with extreme fiduciary care and attorneys have a strong ethical responsibility to protect that money, according to the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office.
Much of the money misappropriated, according to prosecutors, came from a civil case filed in 2003. In that case, Serban represented R. Bruce Dye in a dispute with former business partners over money.
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Attorney Charged With Fund Thefts
5 comments:
Come on! Make a good example of this thief!
I know this guy from years back when a friend of mine was involved, as a pro se, in litigation with this guy.
My friend kicked his a**
We called him Dan Serban-the-man ....
Now, because this story comes from my hometown where my guardianship exists I have to tell this story.
My guardianship was appointed 23-plus years ago, and the atty appointed my guardian has since become a judge in the county superior court. This guy has two judicial misconduct sanctions since becoming a judge. He is up for re-election this year and 12 concerned Fort Wayne citizens filed an election challenge to get this guy removed from the Nov. ballot. I chimed in to the Indiana Election Commission as the 13th juror, an atty for the Election Commission called me and encouraged my attendance at the public hearing, so last Thursday I was in Indianapolis for this Election Commission hearing, and there was my guardian/now judge.
Long story short after the hearinig I left the meeting room and as I walked down the hallway there was my guardian/now judge with his attys and two reporters. I walked into the group and extended my hand to the judge for a handshake. He took my hand and as we stood shaking hands the judge kept saying, "you look familiar, like I should know you". After a minute or so of verbal jabbing from me the judge asks, "what is your name?" When I indentified myself ------ the judge withdrew his handshake and he RAN down the hall and around the corner. Seriously, he RAN from me ......
Proof they are not that tough nor invincible.
As I left the building laughing my a** off all I could think about was the friend of mine who kicked Dan Serban's a**. He and I used to go downtown Fort Wayne duning lunch hour and we would walk the crowded downtown sidewalks and play a game we called the attorney challenge. Handshakes were worth some many points, a scowl and grumble was so many points, and if we could make the atty cross the street to avoid us that was worth bonus points.
My friend died a year and a half ago ..... but no doubt he was laughing his a** off when Judge Ken Scheibenberger ran from me last Thursday ..... the scene was priceless !!!!!
And now for the bonus round :)
Keep at them, Tim. Never give up.
Another thieving attorney? I wonder how many times he accused innocent people of the same thing in court?
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