San Marino : Lawyer Guilty of Stealing
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Local attorney Virgil Becker and his wife and office assistant, Janet, have been found guilty of forgery and stealing $113,000 from clients.
During the three-day trial before Pasadena Superior Court Judge J. Michael Byrne, two of Becker’s clients said they had never seen the money that the attorney had secured as legal settlements on their behalf.
Traffic accident victim Arthur Abelson of North Hollywood testified that the signature on the canceled $30,000 check issued in his case was not his. According to other testimony, Virgil Becker obtained about $83,000 from the estate of a client’s deceased relative but failed to turn the funds over to the executor for distribution.
Becker declined comment on the verdict but has maintained that he did nothing wrong.
The Beckers face a maximum prison term of five years and eight months when sentenced Jan. 14, Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen Plafker said.
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