A retired attorney who practiced law in the Rockland area for decades has been indicted on charges of theft for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from three “vulnerable” clients.
Anita M. Volpe, 73, now of Venice, Florida, was indicted by a Knox County grand jury on three counts of theft and three counts of misuse of entrusted property.
In 2016, Volpe surrendered her law license amid allegations that she mismanaged the finances of an elderly client, who was also her mother-in-law. The Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar accused Volpe of professional misconduct but no criminal charges were filed against Volpe at the time.
Two of the indictments issued Tuesday against Volpe stem from the 2016 accusations involving the handling of her mother-in-law’s finances. The alleged theft took place between October 2012 and December 2014. According to the indictment, Volpe exercised “unauthorized control” over more than $10,000 of the woman’s money.
From the spring 2014 through spring 2018, Volpe allegedly stole more than $10,000 from two other clients, who were both women described as “vulnerable,” according to the indictment.
The indictment does not include the ages of Volpe’s clients, but her mother-in-law was in her early 90s at the time Volpe allegedly mishandled her finances and stole from her, according to the Bangor Daily News archives.
After Volpe surrendered her license in 2016, her attorney at the time denied the allegations.
In 2010, the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar mandated that Volpe complete a professional ethics training course after authorities determined that she violated several rules of the bar in handling a divorce case.