A former lawyer in Tacoma was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Friday for wire fraud after he embezzled more than $530,000 from a vulnerable client’s account.
Colby Parks, 65, stole the funds from a client who received approximately $1.66 million from a motorcycle accident where she was compensated for significant permanent injuries she suffered, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
In 2010, Parks became the trustee for a living trust that was designed to pay for the victim’s expenses after she was injured in the motorcycle accident, according to records filed in the case.
Tacoma lawyer steals funds from elderly woman over 10 years
Throughout the first seven years that Parks was the trustee, he stole funds from the account for his personal use, ultimately leaving $20,000 in the trust. In 2018, Parks coerced the victim into taking a reverse mortgage on her home and used the proceeds to fund the trust…