A Columbus lawyer is accused of stealing more than $35,000 while serving as the court-appointed guardian of an elderly man in a nursing home.
John David Moore Jr. faces a disciplinary hearing before a panel of the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct after being charged with theft and neglecting the cases of other clients.
The complaint filed by Ohio Supreme Court disciplinary officials claims that Moore withdrew $35,132 beginning in 2010 while overseeing the assets and nursing home care of a man in a guardianship case.
Moore is accused of depositing the money in his checking accounts while failing to provide a complete accounting of the funds in Franklin County Probate Court in 2012 and 2013 after his guardian died.
Moore was charged with contempt by a judge, with the guardianship case handed to another lawyer, resulting in a finding that Moore had caused the loss of $13,226 from his guardian's accounts.
An investigation later uncovered more than $22,000 in missing funds, with Moore saying he could not account for some of the money because computers were stolen from his law office in a burglary, according to the complaint. On another occasion, Moore said his computer was in a pawn shop.
The lawyer also is accused of mishandling another guardianship case, failing to file a motion to expunge a client's criminal conviction and failing to attend a probation revocation hearing that led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for his client.
A hearing panel of other lawyers will hear the case against Moore and recommend to the board what professional punishment he should receive. The Ohio Supreme Court will make the ultimate decision whether to suspend or revoke his law license.
Moore made headlines last year when he accused jurors of stealing 71 oxycodone pills while deliberating in the case of his client, who was convicted of drug possession and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Moore accused jurors of stealing the pills while handing evidence in the jury room and unsuccessfully sought a new trial for his client. An investigation failed to uncover what became of the missing opioids.
rludlow@dispatch.com
@RandyLudlow