Indictment: Disbarred lawyer stole more than $1.5 million
State authorities say a former lawyer accused of stealing more than $1.5 million from five clients has been indicted on money laundering charges.
Joseph Talafous Jr. also faces charges of theft, misapplication of entrusted property and filing fraudulent state income tax returns in the indictment handed up Monday by a state grand jury. It was made public Tuesday.
The 53-year-old Toms River resident had a law practice in Jersey City. He was disbarred in August 2015.
Authorities say he stole about $1,528,022 from the clients between October 2004 and May 2015. They say he laundered most of the funds through his attorney trust account and/or attorney business account.
Talafous faces several decades in prison if convicted on all counts. A telephone number for him could not be located Tuesday.
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