More on Tuscaloosa Attorney Sentenced to Three Months in Federal Prison

I previously blogged about Zondra Hutto, the Tuscaloosa conservator who was sentenced to three months in federal prison after pleading guilty to the federal crime of not reporting a crime of an employee. Hutto’s law clerk, with Hutto’s knowledge, took money from and charged the accounts of one of Hutto’s wards for his and Hutto’s personal use.

Since pleading guilty, Hutto has resigned as conservator for around thirty individuals and a new guardian has been appointed. The new guardian, after reviewing Hutto’s final accountings, found that Hutto overcharged her wards’ accounts and kept unorganized records. Some of the unwarranted charges included unneeded postage, storage, and lawn care fees.

Circuit Judge Brad Almond has ordered Hutto to reimburse $11,008 of the overcharged and undocumented amounts to seventeen of the wards. Hutto will likely owe more after Judge Almond hears the remaining cases in November.

See Stephanie Taylor, Audits Show Conservator Mismanaged Ward’s Cases, Tuscaloosa News, Oct. 23, 2011.

Special thanks to Alfred L. Brophy (Judge John J. Parker Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina) for bringing this article to my attention.