Jury convicts disbarred northern Indiana lawyer of forging other attorneys’ names on documents

MISHAWAKA, Indiana — Jurors have convicted a disbarred northern Indiana attorney of forging the names of other lawyers on court documents.

The St. Joseph County jury returned guilty verdicts Wednesday against 47-year-old Rod Sniadecki on three felony counts of forgery.

The South Bend Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1eHYFGU ) Sniadecki’s former legal assistant testified she forged the signatures and faked information in a tax return to secure a mortgage on his South Bend office.

Defense attorney Len Zappia argued the assistant did so without Sniadecki’s knowledge to keep the office running while he was gone.

The Indiana Supreme Court suspended Sniadecki in 2007 for starting a relationship with a woman whose divorce he was handling and lying about it. He was disbarred in 2010 for the forgery case.

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Jury convicts disbarred northern Indiana lawyer of forging other attorneys’ names on documents

Former Upper Arlington Attorney Charged For Allegedly Forging Guardianship Documents, Stealing From Retirement Fund

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former attorney is charged with theft, forgery, tampering with records and money laundering.

According to the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, Lindsey T. Burt, 33, was indicted Tuesday in connection with stealing from the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.

The prosecutor’s office said that Burt was supposed to file paperwork for a client which would make the client the guardian of his son after the mother passed away.

Burt allegedly altered documents, making it that she was the guardian, and then she allegedly sent paperwork to OPERS to collect death benefits intended for the child.

The alleged theft from OPERS was during a five-year period and totaled $67,183.03.

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Former Upper Arlington Attorney Charged For Allegedly Forging Guardianship Documents, Stealing From Retirement Fund

LaPlace Lawyer Indicted for Felony Theft and Forgery

A LaPlace lawyer has been indicted in connection with stealing more than $50,000 from multiple clients, one of them elderly, prosecutors said today.

Kerry D. Brown, 42, of 144 East Lakeview Drive, was indicted Monday by a St. John the Baptist Parish grand jury on one count of felony theft, one count of compounding a felony, and six counts of forgery.

An investigation by Louisiana State Police and the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel revealed that Brown, a personal injury attorney, represented clients from October 2010 to April 2011 in several automobile accidents, allegedly failing to notify clients of settlements and failing to give funds to clients who were owed money. Brown surrendered to Louisiana State Police in May 2012 after a warrant for his arrest was issued.

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LaPlace Lawyer Indicted for Felony Theft and Forgery

PA: Funeral Director Charged with Forging Life Insurance Policy Documents

A Schuylkill County funeral director was charged following allegations that he forged life insurance documents by appointing his business as the owner and beneficiary of the policy.

Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane identified the defendant as Stephen Oravitz, 58, 135 Brandonville Road, Ringtown. Oravitz is the owner of Oravitz Home for Funerals, 40 North Jardin St., Shenandoah, which is also charged.

According to the criminal complaint, Oravitz submitted change of ownership and change of beneficiary forms to Mutual of Omaha in July of 2011, making the Oravitz Home for Funerals the new owner and beneficiary of a life insurance policy.

The charges state that the individual who owned the life insurance policy filed a complaint with the local police department and reported that she had never authorized any changes to her life insurance policy.

Kane said that the woman who owned the policy had dealt with the Oravitz Home for Funerals regarding her late husband?s arrangements and allegedly provided Oravitz with a copy of the cover page of her own $10,000 life insurance policy for informational purposes while prearranging her own services.

The charges state that the woman also provided Oravitz with the name and telephone number of the beneficiary of the policy to assure that funds existed to provide for her future burial.
Agents from the Attorney General’s Office emphasized that this is an ongoing investigation.

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Schuylkill County Funeral Director Charged with Forging Life Insurance Policy Documents

Man Arrested for Financial Exploitation and Forgery

A Cape Girardeau man, already involved in a civil case for alleged fraudulent and dishonest practices going to trial in July, has been arrested. Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter says that 52-year-old Keith Monia has been charged with two counts of financial exploitation of the elderly, and two counts of forgery.

He is alleged to have sold two annuity plans to an elderly Scott County couple between 2010 and 2012, accepted applications and payments totaling 220-thousand dollars, and never having sent the applications to the company. Investigators found the money was deposited in Monia’s personal account and an online trading account. His insurance license renewal was denied in 2011 by the Department of Insurance after allegations of fraud. Monia is being held on $75,000 bond.

His civil trial is set for July 30^th, as Monia is being sued by a Jackson man who said he took $80,000 that was supposed to be placed in an annuity.

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Cape Man Arrested for Financial Exploitation and Forgery

GA Woman Convicted of Elder Abuse

Former Cedar Grove Middle School secretary Bobbie Neil Ward is facing decades in prison after a DeKalb jury found her guilty of 21 of 25 counts of wide-ranging crimes against disabled and elderly victims on Jan. 16.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 25.

Ward was on trial on a 25-count indictment of abuse and exploitation of disabled adults, identity fraud, forgery, false imprisonment, and neglect and exploitation of an elderly person.

A grand jury said she committed the crimes between August 2006 and November 2011 when she claimed to own a home health care service but instead fraudulently used bank accounts, pensions and Social Security numbers of her clients.

During her trial, which began on Jan. 7, DeKalb Superior Court Judge Tangela Barrie severed two of the counts – one count for aggravated assault and one count for disabled adult abuse – from the indictment.

Ward will face those charges at a later date.

DeKalb District Attorney Robert James applauded the guilty verdict and said justice was served.

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Woman Convicted of Elder Abuse