Albion attorney pleads guilty to scheme to defraud and could face prison sentence
ALBION – An Albion attorney pleaded guilty today to scheme to defraud and could face up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison.
Kevin Allen
Kevin R. Allen, 32, admitted today in Orleans County Court to scheme to defraud in the first and third degrees.
Charles Zambito, acting judge in the case, asked Allen if he engaged in a systematic scheme to defraud 10 or more people from July 2013 to January 2018.
Allen said he did.
Zambito also asked Allen if he obtained property from one or more people as part of the scheme.
Allen said he did.
He was arrested in January following complaints of misconduct from two separate clients.
One client alleged that Allen was paid for attorney services to commence divorce proceedings and was then advised the divorce was finalized when in fact, the process had not been started, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office said in January.
A second client told Sheriff’s investigators that Allen was hired to bring a civil lawsuit against certain companies and assist in collecting monies owed from a divorce. Allen allegedly collected more than $57,000 from the victim and had not filed any claims on behalf of his client, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
In court today, the names were read from 15 total victims.
Zambito said Allen will have to surrender his law license as part of the plea deal.
The judge told Allen he could face 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison when he is sentenced on Nov. 1, but the judge hasn’t decided on the punishment.
“I don’t know what I’m going to sentence you to, but you are taking a chance it could be prison,” Zambito told Allen, who wanted to go forward with the plea today.
Allen remains free on $10,000 bail.
The Niagara County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case because Allen served as an intern in the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office several years ago.
