Lawyer Embezzled Funds of Elderly Clients

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Kenneth Wainstein, announced recently that former lawyer, Reginald Jerome Rogers, has been found guilty of mail fraud involving a scheme to defraud elderly clients.

According to the evidence at trial, Rogers practiced law from his home office in Bowie, Maryland, and handled the financial affairs of elderly clients and their estates in the Washington area. He designated several elderly women clients as his “priority” clients for whom he not only performed legal work, but also did household chores such as grocery shopping and running errands for these clients. By performing these household chores, the defendant gained his clients’ trust and induced them to turn over control of their finances to him as their fiduciary. After obtaining unlimited control over the clients’ financial assets, the defendant unlawfully diverted money from their accounts to his own for his own personal gain without their knowledge and consent. Rogers also transferred funds between the elderly clients’ accounts to conceal his diversions, and concealed his scheme by making false statements to elderly clients regarding the status of their funds and property.

See full release here.