Former GA Dem. Chair Sentenced for Stealing from Clients

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The former chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party was sentenced this week in federal court for stealing more than $2 million from clients of his law firm in Gwinnett County.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta announced that Michael Berlon, 55, of Loganville, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, three years of supervised released, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,009,542.81.

Berlon is the former Georgia Democrat chairman who was pressured to leave the party two years ago, the Gwinnett Daily Post reported. Berlon was chairman from 2011 to May 2013, the AJC said.

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Prosecutors said over six-year period from 2008 to 2014, Berlon stole money from clients at his Grayson law firm under false pretenses and used the money for his own benefit.

Prosecutors charged that Berlon told clients he would hold the funds in a trust for safe-keeping, or use them to resolve a financial or legal problem on a client’s behalf.

In one case, prosecutors said Berlon told two clients looking start a new business he would help them get a loan if they gave him a percentage of the loan amount as a down payment. Instead, Berlon kept the money.

“The defendant was a respected member of the community and held an important position of trust. Where most lawyers conscientiously live up to this trust, Berlon instead violated it by stealing large sums from his clients for his personal gain with little regard for how it affected those who trusted him with their money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn in a news release.

J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, added: “While offering up his services as an attorney, Mr. Berlon outright stole from his clients. This sentence now holds him accountable for his senseless and greed based criminal conduct,”

Berlon, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud in February, agreed to pay restitution of more than $2 million to 15 different individuals as part of a plea agreement.