Arrest warrants issued for Eugene La Vergne, suspended Monmouth County lawyer
11:34 PM, Jan. 9, 2012
Arrest warrants were issued Monday for a suspended Monmouth County lawyer who police allege stole money from his clients.
Warrants issued for Eugene M. La Vergne, 47, of West Long Branch stem from an investigation into the theft of funds belonging to one of LaVergne’s clients, according to a prepared release by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office on Monday.
La Vergne was hired in 2008 by a client seeking legal representation in a pending estate matter before the Chancery Division of the Monmouth County Superior Court, according to the release.
In 2009, after a property was sold from the estate, La Vergne received approximately $502,000 in his attorney trust account – funds that belonged to the estate represented by La Vergne, the release said. La Vergne, however, began to use a portion of the trust funds for personal expenditures and he made various cash withdrawals, it said.
By September 2009, La Vergne’s trust account balance had fallen below the threshold that the Chancery Court had ordered him to maintain, authorities said. The court ordered La Vergne’s trust account frozen and a levy was placed upon the remaining funds, the release said.
A financial audit revealed that La Vergne used nearly $152,000 of the trust funds for his own personal use, according to the statement.
La Vergne became a lawyer in New Jersey in 1990 and he last practiced in Eatontown.
La Vergne was suspended from practicing law on Jan. 27, 2011.
An arrest warrant was issued for another complaint against La Vergne’s representation of a client after his license was suspended. An investigation showed that La Vergne accepted a $4,500 retainer for legal services after he had already been suspended, according to the statement.
La Vergne is charged with four criminal offenses, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The second degree charges of theft and misapplication of entrusted property, which carry a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison; a third degree charge of theft relating to the retainer accepted by La Vergne carries a maximum potential sentence of 5 years in prison; and a fourth degree charge of unauthorized practice of law, which carries a maximum potential custodial sentence of 18 months in prison.
Please read part 2 in complete article at link below:
http://www.app.com/article/20120109/NJNEWS/301090111/Arrest-warrants-issued-Eugene-La-Vergne-suspended-Monmouth-County-lawyer
Editor's note: The "spider-like" Probate Court of Cook County protects corrupt lawyers who have "free reign" over victims drawn into its web. Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com
KowamotoDragon.com
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
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