Legal Ethics
Lawyer Sentenced to Prison for Stealing $800K from Clients, Blames OxyContin Addiction
A Connecticut lawyer who says he stole from clients because of an OxyContin addiction was sentenced today to nine years in prison.
Stratford lawyer John Rodia was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to six counts of first-degree larceny and five counts of third-degree larceny, the Connecticut Post reports. Prosecutors say they don’t know where the money went, and Rodia is not expected to make restitution.
Rodia has maintained he developed the addiction in his previous occupation as a state trooper, after he got into a car accident and saw his partner killed, the story says.
He is accused of keeping money from a client’s automobile settlement, and from others’ home sales or mortgage refinancings.
