Another Attorney Pinched For Allegedly Stealing Settlement Funds From Clients' Trust Account

In Dallas, Texas, The Southeast Texas Record reports:

• A Dallas attorney was indicted recently for allegedly stealing money from his clients.
  
  Thomas Corea faces four first degree felonies after he was indicted Aug. 27 by a Dallas County grand jury. He is accused of stealing settlement funds from clients’ trust accounts, using false information to secure loans and stealing identities to apply for various loans and credit cards.
  
  The indictments are the result of a seven month investigation by the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
  
  Corea is charged with theft over $200,000, misappropriation of funds over $200,000 by a fiduciary, securing the execution of a document by deception worth more than $200,000 and fraudulent use and possession of identification information. He allegedly stole the identity of another Dallas attorney and used it to apply for a variety of American Express credit cards.(1)

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• Corea had been hosting a live call-in program, “Ask the Lawyer with Tom Corea,” at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays on station KTVT.

For the story, see TV lawyer indicted for stealing clients’ money.

(1) If the defendant is convicted, any victims may be able to look to The Client Security Fund of the State Bar of Texas, which was established to reimburse clients who have suffered a loss due to misappropriation or embezzle­ment by a Texas-licensed attorney, for a source of recovery of the pilfered cash.

For similar "attorney ripoff reimbursement funds" that sometimes help cover the financial mess created by the dishonest conduct of lawyers licensed in other states and Canada, see:

• Directory Of Lawyers' Funds For Client Protection (now includes Canadian recovery funds, courtesy of the American Bar Association);
• Check the USA Client Protection Funds Map;
• Check the Canada Client Protection Funds Map.

Maps available courtesy of The National Client Protection Organization, Inc.