Sandusky lawyer charged with embezzling from client

A Sanilac County lawyer is facing a five-year felony after police said she embezzled about $15,000 from a disabled adult in her charge.

Kimberly Kirchoff, 49, of Applegate, is charged with a count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult $1,000 to $20,000. The felony is punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

According to court records, Sanilac County Judge Gregory Ross ordered Kirchoff Aug. 26 to pay $15,260 in restitution to the estate of the 51-year-old man for whom she was guardian.

She was arraigned the same day on the felony charge.

Kirchoff was the court-appointed conservator and guardian of the 51-year-old man, Sanilac County Prosecutor James Young said.

Young said the Michigan State Police began an investigation into Kirchoff after she filed a report on her conservatorship activity with Sanilac County Probate Court.

“The report, upon review, raised some concerns relative to expenditures from the developmentally disabled individual’s accounts,” Young said.

Kirchoff was arraigned Aug. 26 in front of Huron County Judge David Harrington. Young said Sanilac County Judges Ross and Donald Teeple disqualified themselves from hearing the case.

Kirchoff pleaded not guilty and waived her preliminary examination. She will be arraigned again in circuit court Sept. 9 in front of Harrington, who will be acting as circuit judge.

Young said the alleged embezzlement is believed to have taken place at Kirchoff’s Sandusky office between August 2013 and December 2014.

Young said people who feel that they or their loved ones are the victims of such a crime shouldn’t be afraid to come forward.

“Vulnerable adults are really at the mercy of their guardians and conservators, and folks being put in that position of trust should be trustworthy,” Young said.

“We need to do more in this area, but we need people to come forward.”

The embezzlement charge is not the first complaint against Kirchoff in Sanilac County.

According to records from the state Attorney Discipline Board, Kirchoff’s license to practice law was suspended Feb. 24 for failing to pay costs associated with a complaint in Austin Township.

Carrie Franzel, clerk for Austin Township, said the township hired Kirchoff to review and revise the township zoning ordinances.

“We paid her over $5,000 to complete that project for us and never received anything,” Franzel said. “She did attend some planning commission meetings … but she never gave us a finished product.”

A formal complaint filed May 20, 2014, with the Attorney Discipline Review board alleged Kirchoff had made “acts of professional misconduct in her representation of Austin Township by failing to promptly review and update the zoning ordinance.”

Kirchoff was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution to the township.

Franzel said two days before the restitution was due, the township received a check from Kirchoff in the mail. It bounced.

When Kirchoff failed to pay about $1,133 in separate costs to the discipline board by Feb. 11, her license was suspended.

The Times Herald was not able to reach Kirchoff for comment.

Contact Beth LeBlanc at (810) 989-6259, eleblanc@gannett.com, or on Twitter @THBethLeBlanc.