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Moyler pleads guilty to embezzlement
Published Thursday, November 5, 2009
Photo by Charlie Passut
J. Edward Moyler Jr. (right) leaves the Southampton County Courthouse with his wife Carole in June after appearing in Circuit Court on embezzlement charges.
COURTLAND—J. Edward Moyler pleaded guilty Thursday in Southampton County Circuit Court to six counts of embezzlement.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 7 before Judge John C. Morrison Jr.
Moyler, who practiced law in Franklin for 54 years, was accused of taking more than $4 million from clients’ estates while acting as executor of their wills before surrendering his license earlier this year. He could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the six counts.
The six counts were connected to more than $4 million stolen from the Lucille Steinhardt estate.
Steinhardt, who died in October 2000, was from a widely known and wealthy Franklin family who ran a downtown hardware store. Since she didn’t have heirs, Steinhardt left sums of money to friends and family members who looked after her. Moyler reportedly made those payments.
After the other people listed in her will were paid, Steinhardt bequeathed one-fourth of the remaining value of the estate to Franklin Fire and Rescue, half to the University of Richmond for scholarships and one-fourth to Southampton Memorial Hospital, according to her will. That money was reportedly never paid out.
Moyler, 79, surrendered his law license in April after admitting that he took more than $4 million from clients’ estates while acting as executor of their wills. He claimed he intended to repay the money but made bad investments. He declared bankruptcy in October 2008.
Moyler is free on $25,000 personal-recognizance bond.
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Comments
Posted by Baffled (anonymous) on November 5, 2009 at 3:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. Moyler has been a respected member of the communitiy for many years. I understand that now he is not well, has filed bankruptcy and is generally in a big mess. Anyone can make bad investments and it saddens me to see anyone at rock bottom. But . . . BUT he didn't have to do it with someone's elses money! That tends to seriously break the "sympathy chain". I just don't condone taking what is not yours to take. It's just plain stealing.
Posted by JusticeWhite (anonymous) on November 5, 2009 at 6:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ONE CAN LOSE HIS OWN MONEY WITH BAD INVESTMENTS, BUT THEN LIVING WELL OFF ILLICITLY 'BORROWED' FUNDS .... CALL IT WHAT YOU WILL ... IS DELAYING THE INEVITABLE AT ANOTHERS EXPENSE. IF A YOUNG ATTORNEY HAD BEEN INVOLVED IT WOULD HAVE SACRIFICED HIS ENTIRE CAREER (HOPEFULLY).
I AM STILL WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SYSTEMS BUILT IN CONTROLS OVER FIDUCIARY ACCOUNTS. WHEN WILL THAT BE ADDRESSED?
Posted by batman (anonymous) on November 5, 2009 at 7 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I didn't realize the man was 79 years old,he is to old to go to jail. You can go free Mr. Moyler, and have a good life:-)
Posted by local22 (anonymous) on November 5, 2009 at 8:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sock it to him ! 17 or 79, he is a theif. Possession of an ounce of crack will get you oiled up and thats worth a 1000 bucks. I know a few mil should get him at least 15. Let him sit there and die in prison. Being 79 should be more of the reason that he get the book threw at him because he should know better. I do not sympathize because of age. This money could have helped many people across the board, scholarships, the fire department, but he lost it all ! He don't even have it to pay back ! WHAT A GUY !
Posted by batman (anonymous) on November 6, 2009 at 8:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Way to go Mr. Moyler, you gave it the old college try, and why not at your age, what are they going to do to you?Look this guy is not going to jail and the law protects his retirement. This guy had already studied what could happen if things didn't turn out. ROFLMAO !!
Posted by westernguy (anonymous) on November 6, 2009 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Local22, quite a shocking comment. I find it hard to believe that this man should be given a life sentence for a white collar crime. The 15 years you speak of is double what they give most child molesters! You sound like someone on a witch hunt.
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