Woodbridge Lawyer Sentenced for Defrauding Clients

(Alexandria, VA) - Stephen T. Conrad, 40, a Woodbridge, Virginia lawyer, was sentenced today to 132 months in jail to be followed by a term of three years supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims. Conrad pled guilty on August 19, 2008 to federal fraud charges in connection with a scheme to defraud his clients. Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office, Gregory Campbell, Jr., Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Colonel Charlie T. Deane, Police Chief, Prince William County Police Department, made the announcement after the sentencing by United States District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

According to court documents, up until December 2007, Conrad primarily represented clients in personal injury cases and workers' compensation claims. Conrad settled clients' claims without their authority or knowledge by forging their signatures on release of liability forms and then providing those forms to the insurance companies against whom the claims were made. In many instances, the claims he mishandled involved serious injuries his clients had sustained, including spinal injuries, facial fractures, and, in at least one case, a leg injury that required amputation. Upon receiving checks from insurance companies, Conrad forged his clients' signatures and misappropriated the funds that belonged to them.

Conrad concealed from his clients that he had settled their claims by telling them that the cases were still ongoing. He used the misappropriated funds for a variety of purposes, including the payment of the mortgage on his home, personal credit card expenses, and travel. Court documents allege that Conrad defrauded at least 255 identified victims - Conrad's clients, insurance companies, and medical providers - of a total $3,973,112.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Prince William County Police Department, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Virginia State Bar and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Belevetz prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.

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