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Former Bristol attorney sentenced to 46 months in prison for stealing over $160K from conserved individuals

BRISTOL —  The United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut’s office announced today a former Bristol attorney will spend close to four ye...
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BRISTOL —  The United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut’s office announced today a former Bristol attorney will spend close to four years behind bars for stealing more than $169,000 from individuals for whom she served as a court-appointed conservator.

43-year-old, Jodi Zils Gagne of Bristol was a court-appointed conservator with several clients in Connecticut and according to court documents,  Zils Gagne began misappropriating individuals’ money and over-billing them in 2015.

The former attorney defrauded six victims of a total of $169,402.74.

The money Zils Gagne misappropriated was intended for the conserved persons’ medical care, housing, bills, personal expenses, and legitimate conservator fees.

One elderly victim was defrauded of approximately $136,000, and Zils Gagne appropriated $113,000 of that money making it appear as an “investment.”

However, it was really a 10-year note that paid only a prime rate and was signed between Zils Gagne and her husband, later using that money to fund a Bristol-based internet radio station and her husband’s start-up company.

In addition, the investigation found she and her husband profited from kickbacks of two victims’ home sales which Zils Gagne arranged to her own relative for less than their appraised values.

A Connecticut Superior Court judge suspended Zils Gagne from the practice of law in September and she pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud a month later.

The FBI and Greenwich Police Department worked closely to conduct this investigation.

After being released on $50,000 bond, U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant ordered Zils Gagne to report to prison on July 8.

 

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