Ohio Attorney Gets 4 Years For Lifting $624K+ From Escrow Account, Stiffing 23 Clients In The Process

In Toledo, Ohio, the Toledo Blade reports:

• A former Toledo attorney who pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her clients was sentenced in Lucas County Common Pleas Court Thursday to 4 years in prison. Karyn McConnell Hancock, 38, was convicted of aggravated theft in November for stealing more than $624,000 from 23 clients over a period of nearly six years.(1)

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• Authorities said that McConnell Hancock would put money into an attorney escrow account for clients of personal injury cases, probate matters, and real estate issues, and would divert some of the funds for personal use.

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• Those clients who investigators have identified as victims of theft have been advised to file a claim with the Client Security Fund of the Supreme Court of Ohio. The fund is made up of money from registration fees paid by Ohio's attorneys and is used to reimburse those who are victims of attorney misconduct.

For more, see McConnell Hancock gets 4 years.

For those outside of Ohio who get screwed out of money or property by an attorney in the course of representing you, and seek some amount of reimbursement, see:

• U.S.: Directory Of Lawyers' Funds For Client Protection (American Bar Association);
• U.S.: Check the USA Client Protection Funds Map;
• Canada: Check the Canada Client Protection Funds Map.

(1) Reportedly, because McConnell Hancock would ultimately pay back some of that money with other accounts, authorities believe the total stolen was about $389,000. EscrowRipOffAlpha