Editor's note: The heirs of Alice R. Gore were "swindled" out of a million dollar estate. Why can't the authorities put some the probate court parasites away for 7-1/2 years? Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com
Man who stole settlement money from relatives gets 7½ years
Krishonna Bond, left, leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse with family members of Rahshone Burnett after Burnett was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for swindling his young relatives out of nearly $1 million from a huge wrongful-death lawsuit. (Phil Velasquez, Chicago Tribune / July 29, 2013)
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A Chicago man was sentenced to 7½ years in prison today for swindling his young relatives out of nearly $1 million from a huge wrongful-death lawsuit and using the money to buy flashy cars, jewelry and a home for himself in the suburbs.
Attorneys for Rahshone Burnett had asked for leniency, arguing that many of the items he purchased were for the benefit of his vulnerable nieces and nephews, who were awarded $5.75 million after their mother and sister died in a 2001 fire at a public housing complex.
But in handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly called that argument "a fat pile of baloney."
"I think it's fair to say he saw his opportunities and he took them," the judge said. "…He saw a big pile of money and he used it to sort of live the life, if you will."
Burnett pleaded guilty in March to five counts of mail and wire fraud. Before he was sentenced, he read a long statement to the court apologizing for his actions.
"I know stealing from them kids was wrong, and I'm ashamed of it," said Burnett, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit.
Several of Burnett's family members, including the alleged victims, were in court to support him. His niece, Krishonna Bond, now 20, said her uncle was like a father to her and that even though he'd stolen their money, he belonged at home with them.
"Let him come home to us," Bond said to the judge, sobbing and leaning on the lectern. "Everybody makes mistakes. We just got to move on."
Burnett's sister, Shlonzo, and her 1-year-old son died when their building at the Harold Ickes complex caught fire in 2001. Prosecutors alleged that shortly after his sister's three surviving children were awarded the money in 2006, Burnett, who had won guardianship, began using settlement checks for himself.
Over the course of several years, Burnett bought a Bentley, a BMW, a luxury motorcycle and two West Side properties, including one he used as a stash house for a burgeoning drug business, prosecutors said. He also bought a nice home in Westchester, where he lived with his fiancée, while his nieces and nephews continued to live on Chicago's West Side.
To hide the thefts, Burnett filed false financial paperwork with the Cook County Probate Court and routinely moved funds from an account set up for his niece, who was still a minor, into one he could more readily access, according to prosecutors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Merin called Burnett's actions "a staggering abuse of trust and manipulation of the justice system."
"That settlement was supposed to set (Burnett's niece and nephews) up for life," Merin said. "They were supposed to want for nothing."
jmeisner@tribune.com | Twitter: @jmetr22b
Attorneys for Rahshone Burnett had asked for leniency, arguing that many of the items he purchased were for the benefit of his vulnerable nieces and nephews, who were awarded $5.75 million after their mother and sister died in a 2001 fire at a public housing complex.
But in handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly called that argument "a fat pile of baloney."
"I think it's fair to say he saw his opportunities and he took them," the judge said. "…He saw a big pile of money and he used it to sort of live the life, if you will."
Burnett pleaded guilty in March to five counts of mail and wire fraud. Before he was sentenced, he read a long statement to the court apologizing for his actions.
"I know stealing from them kids was wrong, and I'm ashamed of it," said Burnett, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit.
Several of Burnett's family members, including the alleged victims, were in court to support him. His niece, Krishonna Bond, now 20, said her uncle was like a father to her and that even though he'd stolen their money, he belonged at home with them.
"Let him come home to us," Bond said to the judge, sobbing and leaning on the lectern. "Everybody makes mistakes. We just got to move on."
Burnett's sister, Shlonzo, and her 1-year-old son died when their building at the Harold Ickes complex caught fire in 2001. Prosecutors alleged that shortly after his sister's three surviving children were awarded the money in 2006, Burnett, who had won guardianship, began using settlement checks for himself.
Over the course of several years, Burnett bought a Bentley, a BMW, a luxury motorcycle and two West Side properties, including one he used as a stash house for a burgeoning drug business, prosecutors said. He also bought a nice home in Westchester, where he lived with his fiancée, while his nieces and nephews continued to live on Chicago's West Side.
To hide the thefts, Burnett filed false financial paperwork with the Cook County Probate Court and routinely moved funds from an account set up for his niece, who was still a minor, into one he could more readily access, according to prosecutors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Merin called Burnett's actions "a staggering abuse of trust and manipulation of the justice system."
"That settlement was supposed to set (Burnett's niece and nephews) up for life," Merin said. "They were supposed to want for nothing."
jmeisner@tribune.com | Twitter: @jmetr22b
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