David Dale, a disbarred Buffalo attorney and former Erie County legislator, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges he collected more than $10,000 from unsuspecting clients years after his November 2005 disbarment.
Dale, 49, of Fillmore Avenue, was arrested Friday morning after a months-long criminal investigation and an almost as lengthy search for his whereabouts. He was released from the Erie County Holding Center on $5,000 bail late Friday afternoon, hours after his appearance before Erie County Judge Kenneth F. Case.
He was arraigned at about 2:15 p. m. Hours earlier, he refused to leave the downtown lockup to cross Delaware Avenue through an underground tunnel to appear before Case, prosecutors told the judge.
Dale did not speak as his chief attorney, Thomas J. Eoannou, entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf to felony charges of third-and fourth-degree grand larceny and scheme to defraud. An Erie County grand jury this week handed up those felony charges and six petit larceny charges and six misdemeanor charges of practicing law as a disbarred attorney, the state?s only crime directly involving disbarred legal work. Eoannou also entered not-guilty pleas for Dale on all 12 misdemeanor charges.
Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III said that if Dale is convicted as charged, he faces a prison term of up to 11 years.
John C. Doscher, chief of the District Attorney?s Special Investigation Bureau, told the judge Dale?s arraignment had to be postponed because the disbarred attorney refused to come to court and also refused to disclose his date of birth.
Doscher told the judge Dale had been ?ducking? prosecutors and investigators for months in the illegal law practice probe. He said investigators from the District Attorney?s Office saw Dale?s truck parked outside his home and took him into custody Friday morning.
The grand jury this week indicted Dale for allegedly collecting more than $10,000 in illegal legal fees from seven unsuspecting legal clients between August 2008 and this January.
Eoannou heatedly complained to the judge about the prosecution bail effort, noting that Dale cares for 8-year-old twins, one of whom is a special-needs child.
Eoannou also stressed to the judge that he advised Dale not to talk to investigators some time ago.
Dale, who was fined $1,000 by a state appellate court Thursday for accepting legal work on behalf of two clients four years after his disbarment, did not speak during the brief proceeding.
In November 2005, Dale was disbarred for mishandling an estate case and costing clients more than $110,000 in late estate tax penalties.
Dale was an Erie County legislator for the Broadway-Fillmore district for one two-year term, losing his seat when the County Legislature was downsized in 2003. He last held public office in January 2004.
No comments:
Post a Comment