CLEVELAND, Ohio - A Cleveland attorney serving 16 months in prison for fleecing a disabled Army veteran of $262,000 was indicted Friday on charges that he stole from two additional disabled people.
Kevin Purcell, 62 is accused of two counts of theft, two counts of money laundering, and one count of tampering with records.
According to a statement from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Purcell stole $116,844 from a physically disabled woman. Purcell was acting as the court-appointed guardian for the woman's estate.
He stole an additional $72,231 from the trust of a disabled man who died in a house fire in February of 2014, the statement says. Purcell was hired to administer the man's trust.
Purcell pleaded guilty to aggravated theft for stealing from the estate of John Kane last December. Kane was an Army veteran who suffered from schizophrenia. Purcell was supposed to be taking care of Kane's finances, and had assured his family that all was well.
At his sentencing hearing, he said his addiction to alcohol led him down the road to steal from Kane, and that he had gone from riches to rags because of his addiction.
Besides his 16-month prison sentence, Purcell is barred from practicing law again.
Purcell is scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges in Cuyahoga Common Pleas Court on June 5.