Attorney turns defendant

A Chico attorney was in court June 25 to face charges of stealing money from an elderly couple and failing to repay a loan from a client. According to a press release from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, 65-year-old Alfred W. Driscol III is accused of stealing $87,514 from an elderly couple he represented.

An investigation indicates Driscol agreed in late 2008 to keep $100,000 of the couple’s money in his client trust account. He paid back $12,486, but reportedly sent a letter last August saying he could not pay any more.

Driscol is also accused of getting a client to loan him $40,000 secured with stocks in a business Driscol owned. He reportedly paid back $7,000, and when the client tried to cash in on the stock for the rest of the loan, he learned the statement held to do so was worthless. Driscol is set to enter a plea on July 30.