Personal injury attorney charged with stealing $50K from clients

LAPLACE – The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office has announced that a LaPlace-based personal injury attorney has been charged with stealing more than $50,000 from clients.

Kerry D. Brown, 42, of 144 East Lakeview Drive in LaPlace, is accused of representing clients from October 2010 to April 2011 in several automobile accidents and failing to reveal to his clients when settlements occurred and failing to provide funds to clients. After the Louisiana State Police issued a warrant for his arrest Brown surrendered to the authorities.

Prosecutors said Brown, a former assistant district attorney for the St. John the Baptist District Attorney's Office, stole from numerous clients at least one of which was elderly.

The Times-Picayune first reported in January 2012 that Brown received an interim suspension of his law license by the Louisiana State Supreme Court for allegedly mishandling $85,000 in client funds.

Brown was indicted last Monday by a St. John the Baptist Parish grand jury on one count of felony theft, six counts of forgery and one count of compounding a felony.

The indictment was the result of an investigation by the Louisiana State Police and Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board's Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney Tom Daley has recused his office from the case and requested that the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office take the lead on the prosecution.

The case has been assigned to Judge J. Sterling Snowdy of the 40th Judicial District Court.