An indictment was returned on Thursday charging Thomas M. Murtha, 61, of Newtown, CT, and Birmingham, MI, with four counts of wire fraud.
Murtha previously operated a law practice in Bridgeport.
The indictment by a grand jury sitting in New Haven was announced by Deirdre M. Daly, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
As alleged in the indictment, between approximately November 2011 and April 2017, Murtha fraudulently obtained and converted hundreds of thousands of dollars from his victims, including clients of his law practice, family members and friends.
Murtha falsely represented to client-victims that he had safeguarded and disbursed the proceeds from legal representations when, in fact, he had used their money for his own benefit, including making payments to other victims.
In furtherance of the fraud, Murtha used false and forged documents, including at least one mortgage and a trust document.
U.S. Attorney Daly noted that the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information that may be helpful to the investigation, or those who believe they have been victimized by this alleged scheme, are encouraged to contact Detective Robert McKiernan at (203) 382-6660.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Greenwich Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Laraia and David Huang.