Area Attorneys Facing Larceny, Fraud Charges

Two former attorneys from the area are facing numerous charges on fraud and other counts.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, Peter Lagorio, 57, of Lynnfield and Michael Germano, 49, of Wilmington, were indicted by a grand jury on Friday. The two reportedly worked as civil attorneys in private practice in the same building on Atlantic Avenue in Boston and have since been disbarred.

The DA’s office reports that Lagorio faces three counts of larceny, one count of conspiracy to commit larceny, one count of attempted larceny, and 17 counts of uttering a false document.

Germano is reportedly charged with five counts of larceny, one count of attempted larceny, two counts of embezzlement by a fiduciary, and 17 counts of uttering a false document.

Both defendants are accused of defrauding finance companies that handle lawsuit settlement funds by providing false evidence of settled legal claims. Germano is accused of embezzling some $180,000 from two car accident victims he represented. He also allegedly altered closed settlements from past clients and kept money he received from the finance companies. Lagorio allegedly used other individuals’ identities to create fraudulent plaintiffs in a class action suit stemming from the 2006 explosion at a company in Danvers.

The two defendants are charged with the combined theft of $1,470,000 from individuals and businesses and are due to be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on July 3.