Erie Attorney Charged for Keeping Settlement Money Collected for Clients
An Erie County attorney has been charged with keeping more than $270,000 in settlement money collected for his clients.
Robert M. Barbato Jr., 31, of Erie, was arraigned Wednesday on five counts of forgery, a count of theft by deception, four counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received, and two counts of attempted theft by unlawful taking. All the charges are felonies. He was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.
The charges follow an investigation into allegations Barbato collected various settlement-type checks for his clients and failed to forward the required amounts to them, according to Pennsylvania State Police. A total theft of $270,595 was reported between January 2014 and Jan. 29, 2020.
Investigators discovered Barbato produced a signed Erie County Court of Common Pleas order and two letters from the U.S. Department of Labor to two separate clients, but all three documents were forgeries, troopers said.
Barbato also attempted to deposit two fraudulent checks belonging to a former client's checking account for $10,000 each, but they were denied by the bank because the account was closed out months ago, according to investigators. Police determined Barbato made the checks payable to himself and used the victim's signature without knowledge or consent.
The victims are listed as:
- Erie County Court of Common Pleas
- 58 year old from Edinboro
- 25-year-old Saegertown man
- 17-year-old female
- 61-year-old Erie man
- 62-year-old Meadville woman
- 79-year-old Erie woman
Barbato's attorney, Andy Sisinni late today said his client is fully cooperating with the investigating. He said Barbato's primary concern is paying back the victims.
Barbato currently is not practicing law.