Sacramento Elder Law Attorney Delbert Joe Modlin Charged With Financial Elder Abuse

A Sacramento attorney whose website extols his expertise in “championing the elderly and ensuring they are not taken advantage of” was arraigned Thursday on felony charges of financial elder abuse, grand theft and securities fraud.

Attorney Delbert Joe Modlin, 63, who was being held on $500,000 bail since his arrest Tuesday, agreed to stop practicing law and seeing clients until the criminal proceedings are complete. In exchange, bail was reduced to $100,000 for the attorney, who has been licensed to practice law in California since 1987.

Modlin’s appearance in an orange jumpsuit in Sacramento Superior Court, and his identification as a lawyer, drew gasps and whispered comments from audience members. He did not enter a plea Thursday.

Modlin already faces criminal charges in Placer County, where he was accused in 2011 of defrauding a frail, elderly couple from Auburn and selling their home and assets without their approval.

Both criminal cases were filed by the California attorney general’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse.

Prosecutor Steven Muni said after the hearing that his boss, Attorney General Kamala Harris, is committed to “protecting elderly victims, who are some of our most vulnerable citizens.

“There are many ways to commit elder abuse,” said Muni. “But no one, not even an attorney, is exempt.”

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Sacramento Elder Law Attorney Charged With Financial Elder Abuse

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/28/6662533/sacramento-elder-law-attorney.html#storylink=cpy