A Livingston New Jersey man who used to practice law in Morris County could be sentenced to three years in state prison for stealing more than $125K from one of his clients.

According to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the suspect, an ex-lawyer from Flanders NJ, took $127,583 from a client. Flanders is located in Mount Olive, NJ.

In 2015, the New Jersey Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection notified prosecutors after getting a tip that the suspect was engaged in unethical behavior. Officials said that the suspect used the name of another attorney in a real estate closing and then transferred the money to his own bank account.

Following a detailed investigation, police placed the suspect under arrest. He was charged with theft of movable property, issuing a bad check, and practicing law without a license.

Sometime later, the 47-year-old suspect was disbarred from practicing law in New Jersey.

Now the suspect could be headed to prison. He recently made an appearance in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown NJ for a sentencing hearing.

The superior court judge said that the suspect will have to pay restitution to the victim or spend three years in NJ State Prison. If the suspect can manage to get the funds needed to pay restitution, he will be sentenced to just one year in prison.

For additional information about this case, read the DailyRecord.com article, “Ex-Flanders Lawyer Who Stole Must Raise $127K in Restitution.”