Fraudster lawyer arrested

US District Court, Concord, NH.

MANCHESTER, NH – The Manchester attorney who stole millions from his clients and then skipped his federal sentencing hearing is now behind bars.

Federal agents arrested John Allen, 63, last week after he failed to show up to his sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Concord, according to court records. Allen, who used to live in Bedford, had garnered the ire of federal prosecutors ahead of his Feb. 25 sentencing date by failing to disclose his finances.

Allen pleaded guilty to money laundering and wire fraud charges in November as part of a negotiated plea agreement. He agreed to repay more than $2.4 million to his clients and faced the project of a 57-month prison sentence.

However, according to Assistant United States Attorney Mathew Hunter, Allen was dodging federal officials who wanted to see his financial records. Hunter said that Allen was likely trying to hide assets from the government.

“This is a financial fraud case where the defendant stole more than $2.4 million from his victims,” Hunter wrote. “The defendant’s continued refusal to provide this financial information raises a particular concern that the defendant may have assets that he is trying to hide.”

Allen has made a financial disclosure to federal law enforcement since his arrest, and he is seeking a public defense attorney claiming that he cannot afford his own lawyer, according to court documents. Allen had been representing himself in court up until his arrest.

Allen specialized in real estate and business law, and he pleaded guilty to creating fake investments for clients. The money went into bank accounts he controlled, and he used the money for his own personal expenses, according to court records.

Allen is due back in court on Wednesday for his new sentencing hearing.

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Fraudster lawyer arrested

NY Lawyer Arrested in Atlantic City, NJ, After Buying Boat, Sailing for St. Croix to Escape Grand Larceny Charges

Tara Boyle Fallon was arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday, six months after a warrant was issued for her arrest, according to criminal court filings.

By Jane Wester

Photo: Shutterstock

A New York lawyer tried to escape a grand larceny investigation related to one of her cases by buying a sailboat in cash and heading for St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Tara Boyle Fallon was arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday, six months after a warrant was issued for her arrest, according to criminal court filings.

A client who hired her in 2016 to help settle his brother’s estate approached police because he suspected Fallon was not handling the matter properly, according to the filings. Investigators discovered she was taking the estate money—nearly $850,000 in two and a half years—for personal use, according to the filings.

After learning that the client had reported his concerns to police, Fallon turned over a misleading accounting of the estate, according to the filings. An arrest warrant was issued in August, but it would take investigators—including the U.S. Coast Guard—months to find her.

Fallon and her husband “sold their Brooklyn home, changed their phone numbers, and adopted aliases,” according to the filings.

She missed other clients’ court dates without explanation, according to the filings, because she and her husband had spent $12,500 on a boat and told the seller they were heading to St. Croix.

The couple were “not experienced sailors,” and their boat ran aground in New Jersey, according to the filings.

Fallon was arrested last week in the Atlantic City area while trying to repair their boat and continue to flee, according to the filings.

Fallon did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

At Tuesday’s arraignment, assistant district attorney Kelly Thomas noted that grand larceny is not a bail-eligible offense under new laws in effect this year.

Fallon and her husband are believed to still “have access to a significant amount of cash,” Thomas said, so she asked for strict supervised release.

Fallon is expected to give up her passport Thursday and is not allowed to travel outside New York and Connecticut, according to the conditions of her release.

According to her LinkedIn page, Fallon graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2003. She is managing partner at Tara Fallon & Associates, according to the page.

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NY Lawyer Arrested in Atlantic City, NJ, After Buying Boat, Sailing for St. Croix to Escape Grand Larceny Charges