Trustee/Lawyer Visits the Dark Side

Today in my Wills & Trusts class, we discussed the various civil sanctions against a trustee who breaches fiduciary duties such as removal from office and surcharge.  We also examined the criminal penalties that may be available.

In this regard, I found an interesting note about a San Antonio, Texas lawyer, George Gonzales, who received a 15 year prison sentence for misapplying approximately $380,000 from a trust.  Mr. Gonzales was the trustee of a trust established for a man who became a paraplegic after an accident.

See Lawyer is handed 15-year sentence, San Antonio Express-News, Oct. 15, 2004, at 2B.