Memphis Attorney Gets 10 Years For Abusing POAs In $60K+ Theft From Two Clients; Joins Ex-Law Partner Doing 22 Year Stint On Other Charges

In Memphis, Tennessee, MyFox Memphis Channel 13 reports:

• Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons announced [] that a Memphis attorney pleaded guilty to stealing money from two clients who had given him power of attorney over their financial affairs. 62-year old Joseph Richard Rossie pleaded guilty to the court on two counts of theft of property over $60,000. Rossie was sentenced to 10 years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently. He is scheduled to begin serving his sentence on March 15. Rossie has made restitution as part of the settlement of civil lawsuits filed by the victims.

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• "Mr. Rossie stole a significant amount of money from two clients. As an attorney, he violated their trust for his own personal gain," said District Attorney Gibbons. Rossie is the former law partner of attorney John Parker, who pleaded guilty in 2007 to five counts of theft of property over $60,000 and one count of theft over $10,000. Parker is serving a 22 year sentence in prison.(1)

For the story, see Attorney Pleads Guilty to Client Theft.

(1) If a Tennessee attorney, either in the course of representing you or acting as a fiduciary, screws you out of money or property through dishonest conduct, go to the Tennessee Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection for information on how to recover some or all of your losses from the fund. For other states and Canada, see:

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

Maps available courtesy of The National Client Protection Organization, Inc.