Former Belmont County attorney Thomas sentenced to 5 years in theft case
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A former Belmont County attorney was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 60 months in prison for committing mail fraud related to stealing more than $882,000 from an elderly woman with dementia while purporting to act in her best interests under a Power of Attorney.
From 2012 through August 2019, the 63-year-old Mark Thomas defrauded a client and took the victim’s money without her knowledge or permission to use it for his own benefit. As part of his sentence, Thomas is required to pay $882,502 in restitution. "Thomas’s grave abuse of power over this vulnerable victim demands today’s serious punishment,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. “The victim in this case was 86 years old, exhibiting symptoms of dementia, and living in a senior-care facility. She trusted Thomas, and Thomas abused that trust to steal her money for more than seven years. His actions to take advantage of her were utterly shameful.”
Former Belmont County attorney Thomas sentenced to 5 years in theft case: WTOV