Edward Abbott Ravenscroft hoists the suitcases off what passes these days for his bed: an old couch in a cramped house that, to be kind, has seen better days.

It's not the sort of living arrangement you'd expect to see for a man worth millions. But then, Ravenscroft is not just any millionaire. He's a millionaire being protected by Maricopa County's probate court.

"No way should I have to live like this," Ravenscroft told me while removing the suitcases he puts in place to keep his landlord's dogs away.

Ravenscroft, 49, is part of the Abbott family, as in Abbott, the pharmaceutical giant. According to court records, he's worth $5 million and has an income of $150,000 a year in stock dividends.

His current living arrangements, I'm told, are for his own good. Based on the billings to Ravenscroft's estate that I've seen, I'd say it's not so bad for his court-approved protectors either.

In early 2008, Ravenscroft was in a bad way. He'd lost 16 years of sobriety, was hanging with an unsavory crowd and was arrested three times for drug possession. During one of those arrests, he was carrying nearly $6,000 in cash.

He was put on probation but was back in jail by January 2009, for, among other things, not complying with drug and psychiatric treatment. His probation officer expressed concern that he could be victimized, given his bankbook.

And so Ravenscroft was handed over to the care and protection of probate court, a cozy group of lawyers and fiduciaries who are appointed to help vulnerable people but also do a pretty good job of helping themselves to a nice pile of cash.

In January 2009, attorney Paul Theut was named Ravenscroft's guardian ad litem, and within a month Theut asked that Sun Valley Group be brought in to oversee the millionaire's estate. Ravenscroft, he wrote, cannot manage his affairs due to drug and mental-health issues and "has property that will be wasted or dissipated unless proper management is provided."

So they proceeded to manage it for him.

According to court records, Theut collected $62,000 from Ravenscroft in his first 3½ months as guardian ad litem.

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Probate Court Lets Millionnaire Fall By Wayside

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A disbarred Marshall County attorney accused of stealing $66,000 from clients is out of jail on a $20,000 bond.

Law enforcement agents arrested Lawton Fuller, 54, of Albertville on Jan. 29 on an eight-count indictment.

Curtis Summerville, spokesman for the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, said Friday Fuller faces two charges of first-degree theft, three for possession of a forged instrument and three for forgery.

The Alabama Supreme Court disbarred Fuller on July 9 after the State Bar's Disciplinary Commission found evidence leading it to believe that Fuller had misappropriated and mismanaged client trust funds.

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Disbarred Lawyer Out on $20K Bail

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Charges were quietly dropped against Las Vegas attorney Jill Hanlon, who had been accused of victimizing an elderly man when she was his attorney in 2005 and 2006. The charges were dismissed in August in open court at the request of Senior Deputy Attorney General David Rickert.

Until last week, the possibility existed new charges could be filed.

Hanlon had been charged in May with one count of elder exploitation and two counts of filing a false document. The complaint alleged she charged Richard Sage $16,800 for 10 hours work, or $1,680 an hour.

"That started the crumbling and cracking of this case," said her attorney George Kelesis.

She had a $1,400 a month retainer, but the state investigator lumped it all together like it was a bill for 10 hours of work over one month, not a retainer over 14 months, Kelesis said.

The case is still pending against Hanlon's former co-defendant, Jamal Eljwaidi. He is charged with six separate counts of elder exploitation and accused of defrauding Sage of more than $400,000 in a real estate investment. Hanlon represented Sage.

Eljwaidi's trial is set for April 26 before District Judge Ken Cory.

In newspapers, the headlines are always bigger when charges are filed than when they are dismissed. Hanlon deserves fairness when charges are dropped. So I'm making sure she gets it in this column.

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Exploitation Charged Against Attorney Quietly Dropped

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Before jurors found a Marietta man guilty of using investment schemes to take more than $2 million from a woman in her 80s, they a got to see how a real man of confidence works, District Attorney Pat Head said.

"That's what a con man is - a man who is able to gain people's confidence," Head said. "Fortunately, he did not get the confidence of the jury."

In Cobb Superior Court, jurors found Frank Constantino, 64, guilty of three counts of theft by taking, three counts of exploitation of an elder person, six counts of violating the Georgia Securities Act, and one count of violating the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. They could not come to a unanimous decision on 16 other counts of theft and violations, thus were deadlocked.

Superior Court Judge Adele Grubbs will sentence Constantino Feb. 18 at 1:30 p.m. Head predicts he will get ten to 20 years, which could be a combination of prison and probation if the man agrees to restitution for the elder woman, Judy Cox.

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Marietta Man Guilty of Bilking $2Mil From Elderly Woman

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City Municipal Court Judge Robert E. Messham Jr. is not in violation of any state law by hearing drunk driving cases despite awaiting pretrial on the same charge, according to the Supreme Court of Ohio.

On Jan. 26, Messham, 63, was arrested in Miami Twp. for operating a vehicle under the influence and sideswiping another vehicle. Police said he refused a Breathalyzer test, which warranted an automatic suspension of diver’s license for one year under Ohio law.

Messham, who was appointed by Gov. Richard Celeste in 1989 and re-elected three times, returned to the bench Feb. 1 after pleading not guilty.

His driver’s license has been suspended and his pretrial hearing is set for April 13.

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Judge Facing Drunk Driving Charge Can Hear Same Cases, Court Says

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