Former Delaware County attorney guilty of stealing more than $100,000 from clients

by Dean Narciso

A Delaware County attorney was sentenced Monday to 2½ years of community control and ordered to repay his former clients more than $100,000 for work he never completed.

The Ohio Supreme Court last year suspended Robert M. Owens indefinitely, after evidence showed that he had bilked clients out of thousands of dollars and lied to them about work promised to them. He was accused of "deceitful and dishonest conduct, failing to communicate and failing to provide a timely refund to four separate clients," according to the complaint filed by the court-appointed Ohio Board of Professional Conduct.

He was later indicted in Delaware County on five theft charges, fourth and fifth-degree felonies.

In May, Owens pleaded guilty to each of the counts. But that was after he told The New America conservative podcast host that charges were fabricated in part due to his unsuccessful 2010 bid for Ohio Attorney General in which now Gov. Mike DeWine defeated him.

"Ever since then, he's used his pressure to come after me and constantly harass me ... tens of thousands of dollars in fees to fight off all kinds of spurious charges."

Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge David M. Gormley rejected Owens' excuses and suggested he find a good job in order to pay restitution of almost $122,000 to six victims. He also denied a motion for intervention in lieu of conviction that would have prevented Owens from having a felony record.

Client trust funds are commonly used by attorneys for retainers and to manage cash flow, and help firms avoid mingling client funds with law firm funds. They are not controlled by the court.

Mismanagement of such trust accounts is "one of the most common ethical violations committed by lawyers," according to Investopedia, a financial media website.

Owens, whose billing rate was $300 per hour, in 2021 closed his practice in downtown Delaware, telling some of his clients that he was dealing with "deep depression" following the death of his father, court records state. He began his law practice in 1998.

In a 2015 story about attorneys use of polygraphs in weeding out clients who might lie, Owens said of the practice: "Usually, we’re talking about very serious crimes where the client’s entire life is going to be in the balance."

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Former Delaware County attorney guilty of stealing more than $100,000 from clients