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Disbarred L.I. Attorney Accused Of Bilking Disabled Client Out Of $1 Million

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A disbarred attorney turned herself in to the Nassau County District Attorney's office Thursday, after being indicted on charges that she stole $1 million from a physically and mentally disabled client.

Janice Jessup, 67, now of Charlotte, North Carolina, was charged with grand larceny and a scheme to defraud. Bail for Jessup – who also goes by her married name, Janice Jones – was set at $150,000, prosecutors said.

Jessup was retained in 2007 by the family of a mentally and physically disabled woman in Westbury, Long Island to represent her in a $1.2 million eminent domain auction involving real estate that had been developed into the Yes We Can Community Center, prosecutors said.

Jessup received the funds by court order in 2008, but her client never got the money, prosecutors alleged. Instead, Jessup allegedly spent the money on personal, business and other expenses – including direct payments to herself and family members, and payments to other law clients, prosecutors said.

During the eminent domain litigation, the Nassau County Supreme Court ordered that the $1.2 million be released to give to the disabled woman, prosecutors said. But Jessup asked that the money be given to her instead, and the court inquired about whether the client had the mentally and physical capacity to consent to the funds being released to the attorney, prosecutors said.

Rather than bringing the disabled woman to court, Jessup allegedly submitted a power of attorney document authorizing a family member to act on her client's behalf, as well as a signed affidavit in which the disabled woman allegedly claimed she had consented to the funds being released to Jessup, prosecutors said.

A court-appointed referee visited what was believed to be Jessup's client's Westbury home twice to find out about the woman's faculties, and on Sept. 12, 2008, a judge agreed to release the funds to Jessup, prosecutors said. But Jessup's client had actually been living in a North Shore care facility elsewhere since 2007, and Jessup allegedly had someone else pretend to be the disabled woman, prosecutors said.

Jessup was disbarred in 2010 after resigning amid unrelated misconduct allegations, prosecutors said.

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