An Eastern Kentucky lawyer is in serious trouble after spending thousands of dollars belonging to a client’s children to buy properties and cellphones.
Timothy Belcher had represented the family of a car crash victim back in 2001 in a wrongful death lawsuit and won a settlement in 2004.
The money was divided between the victim’s widow and his children with Belcher controlling the juveniles’ escrow account.
Prosecutors said that the account went from $817,155 in 2007 to $389 in 2018.
The family appointed a new attorney who confronted Belcher, leading him to admit using the orphans’ money to purchase mortgages, food, insurance, and other items.
Belcher is facing seven fraud charges and three false tax return filing counts. He could face up to 30 years behind bars if convicted.
