Disbarred W. Va. Attorney Accused of Embezzlement, Forging 2 Judgments
Disbarred by consent late last month, a West Virginia lawyer is now facing felony charges for allegedly embezzling money from clients.
Donald Cookman, 41, has been charged with three counts of embezzlement and four counts of forgery, according to the Cumberland Times-News and the West Virginia Record.
He is accused of forging the signature of Mineral County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Frye on two fake judgments totaling $1.1 million for clients, and stealing about $180,000 from three clients, the Record writes.
Neither article includes any comment from Cookman or his counsel. Cookman, his attorney and a special prosecutor, Jefferson County Prosecutor Ralph Lorenzetti, are scheduled to meet on March 26, prior to a preliminary hearing in the case, the Record says.
Meanwhile, Cookman is released on personal recognizance, the Times-News notes.
