Monday, March 7, 2016

Lawyer’s license suspended amid misappropriation claims

Veteran Bobby Bouie Sr.
By Marc Perrusquia of The Commercial Appeal

A Memphis lawyer suspected of mishandling disabled veterans' money has been temporarily suspended from the practice of law.

The disciplinary arm of the Tennessee Supreme Court ordered Keith L. Dobbs to suspend his law practice and reveal the location and bank account number of all trust accounts he controls.

Dobbs is a fiduciary appointed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to manage the finances of as many as 19 Memphis-area veterans in recent years.

"Based upon the Petition and the supporting Affidavits, the Court finds that Keith Lamonte Dobbs, Respondent, has misappropriated funds and poses a threat of substantial harm to the public,'' the state's high court said in an order Monday.

The order did not list any dollar amounts, but referenced an affidavit by Andrew John LoCascio, chief financial officer at BankTennessee.

Attempts to reach Dobbs and his attorney, Michael Scholl, were unsuccessful Thursday.

The suspension follows an investigation last month by The Commercial Appeal that found that several veterans represented by Dobbs faced financial hardships as their bank accounts were suddenly frozen. One, Bobby Bouie, 53, an Army veteran who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, said his disability payments had been cut off, confronting him with an inability to pay his bills.

An email obtained by the newspaper shows the VA moved to replace Dobbs in January from all its cases amid "allegations of misuse.''

Full Article & Source:
Lawyer’s license suspended amid misappropriation claims

See Also:
NASGA Profile:  Norman Hughes

2 comments:

StandUp said...

I hope when the dust settles, Keith Dobbs gets jail time and he has to make restitution to all of his victims.

Greg Prosmushkin said...

Thanks for sharing.