Brost’s troubles started in 2009, when she was suspended indefinitely for using the expired notary stamp of a dead person to fraudulently notarize her own signature on a trust certificate for a client. She later submitted the document to a bank, the petition alleged.
Brost’s theft started with a will she drafted for Arthur Fischbach, who died Sept. 11, 2005. Around the time Fischbach died, Brost altered the date on her dead husband’s expired notary stamp and forged his signature to notarize her own signature on a certificate of trust prepared for Fischbach.
After he died, she presented the fraudulently notarized document to BankCherokee in a failed effort to access Fischbach’s funds, which totaled about $140,000.
After he died, she presented the fraudulently notarized document to BankCherokee in a failed effort to access Fischbach’s funds, which totaled about $140,000.
She also obtained $43,000 from Fischbach’s insurance company by making false statements and stealing his identity.
In March 2009, after learning of these events, the Minnesota Supreme Court indefinitely suspended Brost from practicing law. Brost then allegedly set up an e-mail account in Fischbach’s name and had his mail redirected to a house she owns in St. Paul. She also opened a checking account in his name in February 2011, six years after his death, and wrote letters purportedly from him as she tried to tap his money, authorities said.
Last year, criminal charges were filed against Brost for theft by swindle, identity theft, and aggravated forgery of a document and insurance fraud. She pleaded guilty.
Full Article and Source:
St. Paul Lawyer Disbarred for Theft, Fraud
Full Article and Source:
St. Paul Lawyer Disbarred for Theft, Fraud
Wow! This one's really bad, but sealing from the dead is easier because they can't report you.
ReplyDeleteSo this has been going on for nine years, since 2005.
ReplyDeleteJust unbelievable.
Something needs to change to eliminate the stranglehold that unethical attorneys have on estate and fiduciary cases. The common theme is steal in the form of excessive unearned fees and, when that fails, steal in the form of outright, unprosecuted theft.
The organized Bar has failed to discipline let alone prosecute these thieves. In some cases, Bar staff are even complicit in covering up and encouraging these thefts.
It's way past time to reduce and eliminate the involvement of attorneys in ALL of these cases.
People should be able to go through normal life events, like illness, disability, and even death, without turning their health, wealth, family, and very existence over to a pack of money-hungry wolves.
(No offense to wolves, who we must admit did nothing wrong, in contrast to attorneys.)
This is the first one I've heard of a lawyer stealing an identity.
ReplyDelete