Lawyer Charged With Stealing Settlements
A Chatsworth lawyer was charged Thursday with swindling three clients out of the proceeds of insurance settlements.
Richard F. Murkey, 43, was charged with three counts of grand theft and two counts of forgery, said Deputy Dist. Atty. James A. Baker.
The prosecutor said Murkey, a Northridge resident, apparently converted to his own use more than $51,000 from insurance companies that was intended for his clients.
He was being held at Van Nuys Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail late Thursday. He will be arraigned today in Van Nuys Municipal Court.
“He settled these cases low without his clients’ approval or knowledge, then he forged their signatures on checks to get the funds out of trust accounts,” Baker charged.
Murkey is a personal injury lawyer handling mostly automobile accident cases. He is under investigation for practicing law without a license, a spokesman for the California State Bar said. Murkey was ordered to cease practice Aug. 13 but has continued representing clients, the spokesman said.
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