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Former Verona, N.J., Mayor Gets 7 Years For Theft From Legal Clients

WEST CALDWELL, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The former mayor of Verona, N.J., has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to theft charges.

Matthew Kirnan, 52, of Ramsey, N.J., was sentenced Monday, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Kirnan, a disbarred attorney, pleaded guilty in July to three counts of theft by deception. He admitted to stealing funds from clients he represented in real estate and other legal transactions between 2009 and 2010.

Instead of depositing the money in his attorney trust account and using it for the intended purpose, he kept the money. But authorities have not said what he did with the funds.

Kirnan had a law firm in West Caldwell, N.J., at the time.

Kirnan served as mayor of Verona from 1997 until 1999, according to the Ramsey, N.J., Patch.

He had been arrested previously by the FBI for filing fraudulent IRS documents, and had been on one year's probation for practicing law under false impression in Bergen County, the Patch reported.

Do you think the sentence is fair? Leave your comments below...

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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