THOUSAND OAKS : Lawyer Admits He Stole From Clients
A Thousand Oaks attorney admitted to ripping off several of his clients and pleaded guilty Friday to four related felony charges.
Hoyle H. Kiger, 43, was accused of spending his clients’ money garnered in insurance settlements. His attorney, William Rutman, said that Kiger’s private civil practice was foundering financially and he was “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Kiger passed the state bar exam in 1989 and opened his own office in 1993. Soon after, he ran into financial difficulties and began spending the money he won in lawsuit settlements for clients. He also wrote numerous bad checks while forging client checks.
He also admitted to forging a court document that showed he won a nonexistent $800,000 settlement for a renter involved in a dispute with a landlord.
He pleaded guilty to grand theft, forgery, writing a bad check with the intent to defraud, and counterfeiting a government seal. In return, the Ventura County district attorney dropped seven other related counts.
Superior Court Judge Charles W. Campbell Jr. promised Kiger that he would not send him to prison when he is sentenced Nov. 29. But Kiger does face up to a year in Ventura County Jail.
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