A former attorney in eastern Kentucky who stole over $800,000 from an account intended to benefit the children of a man killed in a car wreck has been sentenced to federal prison.
Timothy Belcher, 56, of Elkhorn City, pled guilty on Tuesday in U.S. District Court to bank fraud and filing a false income tax return. He was sentenced to three years, six months in prison.
The widow of Samuel Johnson, the man killed in the wreck, hired Belcher to represent her in a lawsuit in 2001, according to a report by the Herald-Leader. A substantial settlement was reached three years later.
Belcher put the money into an account he controlled and periodically took the money for business and personal expenses, including food, mortgage payments, insurance and vacations, the newspaper reports.
He also ignored requests from the family when he was asked about accessing the money.
Belcher’s sentence includes an order for him to pay $816,765 in restitution to Johnson’s family and $51,048 to the IRS.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
