Lawyer accused of stealing more than $400K from minor clients
An Illinois lawyer is facing 15 federal charges for bank and mail fraud in connection with his guardian ad litem appointment for four minors. (Image from Shutterstock)
An Illinois lawyer is facing 15 federal charges for bank and mail fraud in connection with his guardian ad litem appointment for four minors.
Attorney David K. Elliott, 41, of Bethalto, Illinois, was appointed in 2016 by the Madison County Circuit Court in Illinois to work as the guardian ad litem for three minor children in connection to a lawsuit brought on behalf of their deceased mother. In 2017, he was appointed to represent another minor in a suit brought on behalf of their deceased father.
The indictment alleges that Elliott opened bank accounts, deposited settlement funds into the accounts for the minors’ benefit, and then fraudulently withdrew more than $400,000 to use for his benefit after providing the bank fraudulent court orders appearing to be filed and entered in the Madison County Circuit Court, according to a Sept. 10 press release from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of Illinois.
Elliott is also accused of a cover-up scheme.
The indictment alleges that when the first of the minor children approached age 18, Elliott moved money to conceal his embezzlement, telling one of the minors that they could not access their account until they turned 21, mailing the minor a fraudulent court order that appeared to be entered in the Madison County Circuit Court.
According to the indictment, two of the minors never received their respective settlement funds. Another only received a small portion of their settlement funds.
Trial is set for Nov. 9 in the Benton Courthouse before Chief Judge Staci M. Yandle of the Southern District of Illinois.
Fox 2 and KMOV also had coverage.
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
.jpg)
