Brother of Local Attorney Charged with Theft

The brother of a local attorney who is on the run from police after allegedly stealing millions of dollars from his personal injury clients is also in trouble with the law.

According to court testimony Malcolm Snipes was picked up at his grandson’s Little League Championship game in Harris County after allegedly withdrawing thousands of dollars from a trust used for settlement funds that was supposed to be paid to his brother’s clients.

The 74 year old brother and employee of William Snipes had five felony warrants for his arrest by the time Investigators caught up with him and more charges pending.

A police detective told the judge the multi million dollar theft scam was a family affair with funds transferred into family members accounts and surveillance video from a local BB&T bank proves it.

Malcolm Snipes made multiple withdrawals from that trust account, each time careful not to take more than ten thousand dollars , the threshold amount required to report to the IRS.

His defense attorney Bobby Jones said Malcolm Snipes was a signature on the account even though the State Bar permits Licensed Attorneys only to hold such settlement accounts.

Malcolm Snipes is not an attorney.

“If I work for an attorney that did personal injury law and I was on the account and the attorney suggested  that I go get the money out of the account then I would go get the money out of the account if I was a non lawyer and didn’t know Bar rules,” attorney Robert Jones said.

In a contentious back and forth with Prosecutors the defense attorney suggested the arrest of Malcolm Snipes was a mere ploy to find William Snipes whose been spotted in Mississippi and Alabama since the scandal broke.

“Many times I’ve seen police put pressure on other people in order to squeeze them so to speak to either get evidence on the person they’re really after, the target of the investigation or to possibly get the target to come in because an innocent pawn so to speak has been arrested and they wouldn’t want that to happen to that person,” Jones said.

As the wife of Malcolm Snipes appeared outside the courtroom, Some of her brother in law’s distraught clients appeared too, unable to contain their anger as they made their way from the parking lot

Police say more than 30 victims have come forward to report their personal injury claims, now in the millions were ripped off.

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Brother of Local Attorney Charged with Theft

Attorney Accused of Stealing Millions Surrenders

The local attorney accused of stealing millions in settlement funds from his own injured clients has turned himself into police.

It was those injured clients expecting thousands in insurance payouts who tipped off investigators that attorney William “Bill” Snipes was allegedly pocketing all the money and suddenly no where to be found until this past Sunday.

According to a source with first hand knowledge of the case, Bill Snipes turned himself into police on the advice of his out of town defense attorney ten days after his brother was taken into custody at a little league baseball game in Harris County.

Bill Snipes had been a well known local attorney for more than three decades when clients started to emerge this past January with horror stories about severe injuries, mounting medical bills and millions in insurance payouts missing, along with Snipes.

“It’s pretty bad when you put your faith and trust in a lawyer, a ‘prominent attorney’ and they do this to you. I want to see him go to jail. I’d like to go visit him,” said Birdie Watford

We contacted Watford to let her know Snipes was now in the Muscogee County jail charged with three counts of felony theft by taking.

Using expletives Watford echoed the sentiments of other victims demanding their money back.

The initial victims who stepped forward are the tip of the iceberg according to financial crimes detectives who are now examining nearly two dozen claims against the disgraced attorney.
Since a First News investigation first aired, several more victims have come forward.

The brother of Bill Snipes, Malcolm Snipes was also charged in connection to the case after detectives said he withdrew thousands from a trust account intended for those injured clients.

Malcolm Snipes also remains in jail on a $125,000 bond.

Bill Snipes is scheduled to appear in Recorder’s Court Wednesday morning.

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Attorney Accused of Stealing Millions Surrenders

Lawyer heads to trial for $400G theft from clients

Gregory G. Stagliano

MEDIA COURTHOUSE >> A Delaware County personal injury attorney waived arraignment Wednesday on charges that he stole more than $400,000 in settlement funds that were supposed to go to his clients.

Gregory G. Stagliano, 61, of the 500 block of Chaumont Drive in Radnor, is charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft of services, theft by deception, and receiving stolen property, all felonies of the third degree, in allegedly pocketing money that was supposed to go to nine different victims he represented in personal injury cases. Stagliano is additionally charged with unauthorized practice of law.

District Attorney Jack Whelan said when announcing the charges in May that investigators led by county Detective Michele Deery began looking at Stagliano in July 2016, based on a tip from the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Investigators found a similar pattern of theft in each of the nine cases, with Stagliano allegedly depositing funds meant for clients into his own Santander Interest on Lawyers Trust Account for personal use.

In one case, Stagliano received $65,000 that was supposed to go to the victim in a car accident, according to a release from the District Attorney’s office. But prosecutors claim Stagliano paid the victim only $7,500, then warned her to stop contacting him seeking the balance.

“I wish you to cease your continued harassing communications in this regard and if you do not, we will go about it in a different way,” he allegedly told that victim.

An investigation by the Disciplinary Board revealed that Stagliano still owed that victim $40,000. Deery looked into the bank records and found just $133.77 remained in the account, according to the release.

“As prosecutors, we find the violation of his sworn fiduciary responsibly especially disturbing and Mr. Stagliano used this position in order to fund his own lavish lifestyle and pay his own personal debts with his clients’ money,” said Whelan. “Individuals should be able to trust their attorneys and abusing that trust is both unethical and in this case criminal. Today’s arrest of Mr. Stagliano should send a clear message that no one is above the law.”

A pretrial conference date was not immediately available. Anyone who believes they also have been victimized by Stagliano is urged to contact Deery at 610-891-8745.

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Lawyer heads to trial for $400G theft from clients