Hunter Indictment Greeted With Skepticism
Dublin Core
Title
Hunter Indictment Greeted With Skepticism
Subject
Embezzlement
Description
Newspaper article describing the reaction to William Hunter's indictment during the embezzlement hearing. A few of Hunter's colleagues' opinions on the trial are quoted.
Creator
Gregg, John
Source
Gregg, John. “Hunter Indictment Greeted with Skepticism.” Rutland Daily Herald, July 10, 1997.
Publisher
HIST 298, University of Mary Washington
Date
1997-07-10
Rights
The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source.
Format
2 JPGs
300 DPI
Language
English
Coverage
Cavendish, VT
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
CAVENDISH- Friends and colleagues of Cavendish Lawyer William Hunter reacted with surprise, and some with indignation, Wednesday to news federal prosecutors had charged him with 11 counts of fraud.
“I think the guy is a great guy, to tell you the truth,” said Steven Sysko, a North Springfield resident and active Democrat who knows Hunter from the lawyer’s days as a state legislator for Windsor County. “They have an indictment, but I don’t think it will hold water, knowing the guy from way back.”
Hunter, a former state senator and Rhodes Scholar, was indicted Tuesday on 10 counts of mail fraud and one count of bankruptcy fraud after a two-year investigation into his legal and financial dealings.
The indictment alleged that Hunter between 1993 and 1996 embezzled “tens of thousands of dollars” from clients and trusts, loaning the money to other clients and covering up previous allegedly improper financial transactions.
The probe started in June 1995, when Windsor drug dealer Frank Sargent Jr. claimed that Hunter had helped him launder drug money. Among numerous charges in the indictment, Hunter allegedly loaned Sargent $19,000, and received $5,000 in interest in return for the 90-day loan, when he knew Sargent was dealing drugs, according to prosecutors.
But Hunter, who all along has denied knowledge of Sargent’s drug dealing, was not charged with participation in any drug activity, and says he believed the money was being used to renovate affordable housing. He also denied receiving $5,000 from Sargent.
Several lawyers questioned why the mail fraud charges would be brought after a lengthy investigation into alleged drug money.
“After all that work, and after all this focus on drugs, it seems peculiar,” said Rutland lawyer Herbert Ogden Jr. “It strikes me as somewhat small potatoes.”
Ogden last year unsuccessfully sued Hunter on behalf of a client in a malpractice case, and has now filed an appeal in the case with the Vermont Supreme Court.
Vermont Law Professor Michael [next page] Mello, who has publicly supported Hunter in a separate Professional Conduct Board inquiry into Hunter’s law practice, criticized the indictment and called it an “outrage.”
“You put any busy litigator under a 25-month microscope … under that these guys put Will Hunter under, and you’re going to find some irregularities,” Mello said. “This is all they came up with, after 25 months? I thought that this was a drug laundering case.”
U.S. Attorney Charles Tetzlaff declined to comment on reaction to the indictment.
Others said they were surprised by the indictment because of their knowledge of Hunter, who is known for taking on indigent clients and difficult cases.
“I like Will real well. It’s hard for me to believe that these charges are true,” said William Donahue, a lawyer in White River Junction and a former Windsor County deputy state’s attorney.
Hunter has admitted that he made [next page] “mistakes” in loaning money to clients but says he did not profit personally. Hunter also claims that none of his clients wound up losing money.
But several lawyers noted that Hunter may have violated a serious fiduciary duty if the charges that he loaned out and otherwise mishandled clients’ money are true.
“Even if they put it all back, even if they didn’t make any money on it, you can’t do it. It’s a sacred trust,” Donahue said.
And Jerome O’Neill, a former federal prosecutor who has been in private practice in Burlington for 16 years, said Hunter’s statements that he did not profit and had no criminal intent to defraud his clients were not uncommon in such cases.
“That’s always the defense in [next page] fraud cases,” said O’Neill, who said he did not know whether the charges against Hunter were true. “Because they paid the money back does not mean that there was not an intent to defraud.”
O’Neill also said he believed prosecutors were acting in good faith in bringing the indictment.
“My take on it is that the people in the U.S. Attorney’s office are conscientious. They would not have sought the indictment unless they believed that they could get a conviction … because if he’s acquitted, it’s embarrassing,” O’Neill said. “They are not going to drop this case two months from now. This case is going to get tried.”
Hunter is slated to be arraigned in federal court in Burlington on Monday afternoon.
“I think the guy is a great guy, to tell you the truth,” said Steven Sysko, a North Springfield resident and active Democrat who knows Hunter from the lawyer’s days as a state legislator for Windsor County. “They have an indictment, but I don’t think it will hold water, knowing the guy from way back.”
Hunter, a former state senator and Rhodes Scholar, was indicted Tuesday on 10 counts of mail fraud and one count of bankruptcy fraud after a two-year investigation into his legal and financial dealings.
The indictment alleged that Hunter between 1993 and 1996 embezzled “tens of thousands of dollars” from clients and trusts, loaning the money to other clients and covering up previous allegedly improper financial transactions.
The probe started in June 1995, when Windsor drug dealer Frank Sargent Jr. claimed that Hunter had helped him launder drug money. Among numerous charges in the indictment, Hunter allegedly loaned Sargent $19,000, and received $5,000 in interest in return for the 90-day loan, when he knew Sargent was dealing drugs, according to prosecutors.
But Hunter, who all along has denied knowledge of Sargent’s drug dealing, was not charged with participation in any drug activity, and says he believed the money was being used to renovate affordable housing. He also denied receiving $5,000 from Sargent.
Several lawyers questioned why the mail fraud charges would be brought after a lengthy investigation into alleged drug money.
“After all that work, and after all this focus on drugs, it seems peculiar,” said Rutland lawyer Herbert Ogden Jr. “It strikes me as somewhat small potatoes.”
Ogden last year unsuccessfully sued Hunter on behalf of a client in a malpractice case, and has now filed an appeal in the case with the Vermont Supreme Court.
Vermont Law Professor Michael [next page] Mello, who has publicly supported Hunter in a separate Professional Conduct Board inquiry into Hunter’s law practice, criticized the indictment and called it an “outrage.”
“You put any busy litigator under a 25-month microscope … under that these guys put Will Hunter under, and you’re going to find some irregularities,” Mello said. “This is all they came up with, after 25 months? I thought that this was a drug laundering case.”
U.S. Attorney Charles Tetzlaff declined to comment on reaction to the indictment.
Others said they were surprised by the indictment because of their knowledge of Hunter, who is known for taking on indigent clients and difficult cases.
“I like Will real well. It’s hard for me to believe that these charges are true,” said William Donahue, a lawyer in White River Junction and a former Windsor County deputy state’s attorney.
Hunter has admitted that he made [next page] “mistakes” in loaning money to clients but says he did not profit personally. Hunter also claims that none of his clients wound up losing money.
But several lawyers noted that Hunter may have violated a serious fiduciary duty if the charges that he loaned out and otherwise mishandled clients’ money are true.
“Even if they put it all back, even if they didn’t make any money on it, you can’t do it. It’s a sacred trust,” Donahue said.
And Jerome O’Neill, a former federal prosecutor who has been in private practice in Burlington for 16 years, said Hunter’s statements that he did not profit and had no criminal intent to defraud his clients were not uncommon in such cases.
“That’s always the defense in [next page] fraud cases,” said O’Neill, who said he did not know whether the charges against Hunter were true. “Because they paid the money back does not mean that there was not an intent to defraud.”
O’Neill also said he believed prosecutors were acting in good faith in bringing the indictment.
“My take on it is that the people in the U.S. Attorney’s office are conscientious. They would not have sought the indictment unless they believed that they could get a conviction … because if he’s acquitted, it’s embarrassing,” O’Neill said. “They are not going to drop this case two months from now. This case is going to get tried.”
Hunter is slated to be arraigned in federal court in Burlington on Monday afternoon.
Original Format
Newspaper
Contributor of the Digital Item
Dunnigan, Delaney
Student Editor of the Digital Item
Dickinson, Terra
Files
Citation
Gregg, John, “Hunter Indictment Greeted With Skepticism,” HIST299, accessed July 4, 2024, http://hist299.umwhistory.org/items/show/270.