Attorney accused of internet crimes, pilfers millions from estate

An attorney from Pennsylvania is accused of internet crimes after allegedly taking more than $1.7 million from the estate of one of his clients. The man, age 70, is accused of using the Web to divert money from his client’s account into those of the law office during the period from December 2005 and October 2011. He has officially been indicted on charges of identity theft, tax evasion and mail fraud, along with a variety of other tax-related claims. The man allegedly failed to inform the estate’s investment account manager that the executor of the estate died in 2009. As a result, the investment account manager continued to send money to the deceased executor. The defendant in this case is accused of cashing the checks into the law firm’s accounts even after the executor’s death. As a result, the man who should have been the executor of the will sued the IRS, the government and the attorney in federal court. The attorney also allegedly failed to file estate tax returns in connection with the case. If taxes had been paid, the beneficiaries would not have received the correct amount of money, and the man may have feared that the fraud would be exposed. At the time of the man’s passing, the estate was valued at about $6 million. The estate taxes would have cost more than $500,000, according to official reports. The man has faced tax difficulties in the past. Between 2002 and 2009, he was the subject of federal tax liens in the amount of $360,000. In addition, the state of Pennsylvania has a tax lien pending against the man for $14,000. Fraud and Internet crimes defendants can benefit from representation by qualified criminal defense attorneys. No matter the scope of the crimes, these defendants deserve a fair legal process through the criminal justice system. Pennsylvania defense attorneys can provide their clients with the advice they need. Source:  www.phillyburbs.com, “Feds: Doylestown attorney took $1.7M from client’s estate” Oct. 18, 2013