Former Toledo attorney Karyn McConnell Hancock, 38, is heading to prison for four year. Hancock became infamous when she faked her own kidnapping. Now, she has been sentenced for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her clients. She is a former Democratic Toledo city councilman and the daughter of sitting Toledo Municipal Court Judge C. Allen McConnell.
Hancock was convicted of aggravated theft in November for stealing more than $624,000 from 23 clients over a period of nearly six years. She was found to be diverting money from the client escrow account for her personal use between 2002 and 2007.
She got off lightly in the bizarre kidnapping claim. She was sentenced two years of probation with a three-month jail sentence suspended, a $300 fine, and 40 hours of community service.
For the full story, click here.
What caused this attorney to fall so far, so fast? The story doesn’t give us any indication that drugs or gambling issues came into play. Was it just greed? This woman’s life is ruined, as it should be, possibly by greed and stupidity. I feel for the Husband and Son who have to try to get by with Mom in prison for theft. But I feel for the victims of her theft who may never get the funds back. I don’t know how the Ohio victims fund works and if it is solvent enough to fully compensate the victims. I hope that it can make these victims whole. This must be the week of fallen attorney’s cases.
rafflaw:
That kidnapping case should have been a red flag for the Bar and everyone else concerned. I would defer to Mike Spindell’s expertise here, but in my admittedly limited experience these episodes are cries for help or scams for obscuring the truth. I think she got off light on the embezzlement charge given the amounts involved and that she occupying a position of trust incident to the theft.
She is an attorney & former city councilman. Husband is a Bishop in their Church. Father is a municipal judge. According to one source, she had debts to the Internal Revenue Service of $97,524 for unpaid income taxes in the years 2001, 2002, and 2003. Which, did not stop her from keeping the Mercedes Benz and the condo in her husband’s name, away from the the feds)
also…
“Karyn McConnell Hancock, 38, was convicted of aggravated theft in November for stealing more than $624,000 from 23 clients over a period of nearly six years.”
http://www.politickeroh.com/tags/karyn-mcconnell-hancock
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I’m supposed to believe the husband knew nothing about any of it. Man, I guess I’m getting cynical.
Any questions about my dim view of my former profession can be answered by reading about people like Hancock.