Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Page 3
Former Attorney to Be Arraigned on Embezzlement Charges
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Former attorney J. Jeffrey Long of Santa Clarita is due to be arraigned on charges of embezzlement at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center this week, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has announced.
Long, 60, was arrested Friday without incident at his home by District Attorney investigators and stands charged with three counts of grand theft by embezzlement and one count of forgery, Deputy District Attorney Sean Hassett of the Justice System Integrity Division said Friday.
The attorney tendered his resignation with the State Bar with charges pending in March 2007, and is accused of misappropriating more than $150,000 from a client’s settlement between June 2006 and July 2007.
After the client’s case settled for $300,000, Long allegedly told the client he could not wait for the settlement check, and convinced him to cosign a $75,000 advance loan.
Upon receiving the settlement, Long then allegedly underpaid the client by nearly $120,000 and failed to repay the advance, making the client legally liable for the loan.
In a separate matter, Long allegedly settled a case against the wishes of another client, forged her name on a $20,000 settlement check and embezzled the money.
If convicted of all counts, Long faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months in state prison.
Long could not be reached for comment.
Hassett said the District Attorney’s office would be recommending a bail amount of $220,000.
Copyright 2009, Metropolitan News Company