The federal fraud trial against disbarred and disgraced attorney Andrew Capoccia started today,
March 8, 2005,in Brattleboro, VT. (see WNYT.com, Albany, NY, “Capoccia’s federal fraud trial begins: Accused of stealing millions from clients”) Capoccia is charged with massive fraud — for allegedly
cheating his debt-reduction clients of $23 million and then conspiring to hide the booty and his other
assets. His partners have already pled guilty. (Rutland Herald, “Fraud case reveals ‘deal with the devil‘“,
Feb. 10, 2005; Vt. AG press release)
update: March 9, 2005: see Albany Times Union, “At trial, lawyer seen as predator or protector“; Bennington Banner, “Sinnott to take stand in former partner’s fraud trial.”
Whatever the outcome of the criminal trial, I believe that the Capoccia Scandal — the enormous harm that lawyers perpetrated on their clients — could have been prevented if bar counsel had done their duty in 1997 and 1998, when Capoccia’s debt-reduction business was launched and spread across New York State. Instead of acting, they found excuse after excuse for not even investigating, leaving many thousands of clients to the wiles of Andrew Capoccia and his law partners.
- read the rest of this story here –
you look too
robber! dewdrops
in the grass
Issa
the mountain moon
gives the blossom thief
light
Issa
crying its cry
in vain…
the stepchild sparrow
ISSA
all haiku translated by David G. Lanoue
Thanks to Walter