Pittsburgh-area lawyer reacts to attorney who allegedly swindled jailed woman out of $30K
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Pittsburgh lawyer is sharing his perspective on the charges facing a Westmoreland County attorney who is accused of swindling an incarcerated woman out of thousands of dollars, using the money to gamble.
"In 20 years of practice, I've never seen an allegation quite like this," said defense attorney Blaine Jones. "You hear about attorneys taking money and doing things with money that they probably shouldn't, but I've never seen an allegation where money was taken from someone who is legally maybe not competent. I've never seen that."
The victim, a woman in her 60s, was awaiting a competency evaluation determination and was previously deemed not competent to stand trial on other cases, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office.
The lawyer, who the DA identified as John Allen Roth, is facing a slew of charges, including theft and deceptive business practices. The DA says Roth visited the woman at a prison, promising to get her out if she paid a $2,500 representation fee.
Not only did Roth never appear as an attorney or get her out of jail, but he and his employee withdrew more than $31,000 from the woman's account, per the DA.
"This dollar amount could lead to some type of incarceration if a person is, in fact, found guilty," Jones said.
The funds were used to fund Roth's gambling habit, per the DA. Detectives found he had more than $382,000 in transactions at Live! Casino from April to September of this year.
"If that is, in fact, the case, there are serious repercussions, and it's a tragedy," Jones said.
A gambling addiction could be considered a mitigating factor at a potential sentencing, Jones said. At the same time, the fact she was awaiting a competency evaluation determination, per the DA, could swing things the other way,
"If a person is somewhat preying on a person that is not legally competent, the courts will come down with a hammer on someone like that, because that person's even more vulnerable due to their lack of, perhaps, mental understanding," Jones said.
While Roth faces charges in Westmoreland County, Jones explained that a state disciplinary board will also review Roth's actions after a complaint is submitted. They could suspend his ability to practice law or disbar him.
The board disciplined Roth in 2016 for misconduct in two divorce cases. They said he represented clients without their consent. In addition, in 2009, the board said he borrowed $15,000 from a client without advising him of all his rights.