Central Arizona lawsuits

Fake divorce lawyer gets 15 years

PHOENIX — A former lawyer was sentenced to 15 years in prison for bilking thousands of dollars from divorcees.

Gary Karpin, 57, was disbarred from practicing law in Vermont in 1992. Afterward, Karpin began posing as an Arizona divorce attorney under a business he called “Divorce with Dignity.”

In early October, a jury found Karpin guilty on 23 counts of theft and one count of fraud after he scammed his “clients” for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ten of these victims testified against Karpin at the sentencing. Many requested the maximum possible jail time.

Clissy Landreaux, the first victim to speak, said the money she lost to Karpin caused lasting damage to her finances, affecting her ability to pay for everything from her college-age son’s tuition everyday expenses.

“The defendant will never understand the effect he had on my life,” she said. “Victims were the nails, Mr. Karpin was the hammer. And he nailed everything he saw fit.”

Leaning on a cane, Gina Niedzwiecki walked up to the podium carrying a copy of a letter she’d written detailing her five-and-a-half-year financial and emotional “ordeal.” Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and therefore unable to work, Niedzwiecki was forced to declare bankruptcy after she paid Karpin nearly $90,000.

Her case was spotlighted in a January 2005 Phoenix New Times exposé that spurred other victims to come forward.

“I can’t even afford airfare to visit my father before he passes away,” Niedzwiecki said. Both of her parents have “extensive health problems,” and her terminally ill father is not expected to live more than a few weeks.

She wanted both jail time for Karpin and restitution. If she is not reimbursed by Karpin, she says she won’t be able to keep the Arizona home she shares with her two daughters.

“Money was his motivation, and I believe money should be one of the major consequences,” Niedzwiecki said..

Five people spoke in defense of Karpin, including his sister, who flew in from Vermont. Through tears, she spoke to Karpin’s character. “My brother may have made some mistakes,” she said, “but he is not a bad person.” Karpin’s daughter also testified.

Asked to comment before the sentence was announced, Karpin broke down repeatedly as he apologized for “violating the trust” people placed in him. “Whatever sentence the court imposes on me, I will accept it,” he said.

Karpin will be credited for 194 days he has already served in jail. After he finishes the rest of his 15-year sentence, Karpin will be placed on probation for five years and required to pay related fees. A separate hearing will address restitution.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Warren Granville, who presided over the sentencing, said that Karpin “tainted the profession” by posing as a lawyer.

“As one of the victims said, you come to a professional at a time of need, and you breached that trust over and over again,” he told Karpin. “At their most vulnerable point in life, you kicked them when they were down.”

A civil case has also been filed against Karpin.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

AG goes after mobile home park

MESA — Operators for a mobile home park broke housing and civil rights laws when they booted an old couple without taking the wife’s mental disorder into consideration, according to a recent lawsuit.

The complaint from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office claims Mesa Village Mobile Home Park near Main Street and Lindsey Road and two of its previous tenants, Herb and Ella Loy Boyd. The state is suing the park on their behalf.

According to the complaint, the Boyds started renting a unit in the park in May 2001. Ella Boyd has a mental impairment that does not allow her to care for herself.

On March 23, she stopped taking her medication, according to the complaint. When the neighbors placed concrete dividers between their driveway and the Boyds’ driveway, she became angry and complained to the manager. The discussion ended in an argument, with Mesa Police removing Ella Boyd from the premises.

On march 25, the complaint says, she was admitted to a treatment facility for psychiatric evaluation. That day, the mobile home park terminated the couple’s lease because she had been “observd attempting to break into the home of another tenant…[and] threatened the manager with physical harm.”

Doctors determined that Ella Boyd was bipolar, and Herb Boyd used this in court to get the park to drop the case and let them move back in. Lawyers for the state claim negotiations with the park’s lawyers broke down, and that the park refused to make reasonable accomodations for the Boyds.

Thus the lawsuit. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard is suing under the Arizona Fair Housing Act and the Arizona Civil Rights Act. Tucson lawyers Rose A. Daly-Rooney and Cathleen Dooley are representing the state.

Tot-beater could face death penalty

MESA — A jury will decide whether a Mesa man will spend life in prison or face the death penalty for beating his friend’s baby to death.

The case stems from a February 2005 incident in which Christohper Langin, 33, was left to babysit the daughter of his neighbor, Michael Plummer, 34. The two men were friends from high school, and Langin lived in a trailer behind Plummer’s east Mesa home at the time.

The 3-year-old girl, Angeline, was developmentally delayed and could barely speak. She was found 24 hours later inside Langin’s fetid trailer beaten and bruised head to toe, according to court records.

Plummer knew Langin had a history of substance abuse and violent tendencies, said Maricopa County prosecutor Patricia Stevens, but he still allowed Langin to care for his daughter.

Records say that the actual cause of death was due to “blunt force trauma to her head.”

In September, a jury in Maricopa County Superior Court found Langin guilty of first-degree murder, child abuse and aggravated assault, according to court documents. Now its members must decide if Langin should face the death penalty.

Joey Hamby, a defense lawyer for Langin, told jurors last week that they should spare Langin from the death penalty because his client suffered from “potential methamphetamine induced psychosis” at the time of Angeline’s death.

Hamby also stated that they planned to bring in expert witnesses to testify Langin’s history of family tragedy, significant brain impairment, and long-standing substance abuse and childhood domestic abuse.

“We will not deny the fact that Chris did abuse meth and alcohol, he has suffered through multiple relapses and has about 11 teeth left, which indicates harsh drug use,” Hamby said.

Growing up, Langin was a special education student who did not graduate from high school or receive a GED, Hamby added. He has no arrest record in Arizona, so the death penalty is too harsh, he said.

“So is life in prison the right sentence, or is death? I believe life in prison is the right decision for Chris Langin,” Hamby told the jury.

Stevens, however, said a sad “life story” should not be a mitigating factor to justify Langin’s actions.

The jury is set to decide Langin’s fate by Nov. 20.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.

Closing arguments in fraud, theft trial of Gilbert mediator

PHOENIX — Closing arguments began Monday in a trial against a Gilbert man accused of posing as a divorce mediator and defrauding clients of almost $300,000.

Gary J. Karpin Sr., 57, is charged with 25 counts of felony theft and one count of fraudulent schemes for allegedly performing legal duties despite the fact he was not licensed to practice law in the state of Arizona.

The charges span from August of 1998 to July of 2005 and include over 45 different victims, each of whom say the defendant promised them legal action but did nothing in return for their payments.

Mr. Karpin allegedly posed as a divorce mediator, posting several ads in newspapers and magazines such as The Arizona Republic and Phoenix New Times.

He promised low prices, fast action and positive outcomes for the children.

“He wanted them to trust him,” prosecutor Annielaurie Van Wie told the jury at Maricopa County Superior Court.

Ann Hawksworth says she sought out Karpin because she wanted the very best for her children – but that was not what she got.

“He said he was an advocate for children, it was about what was best for the kids,” says Hawksworth. “He exploited my children, they went through hell.”

According to court records, Karpin was disbarred in 1993 from Vermont due to extremely unethical conduct.

He moved to Arizona in 1996 and opened his business as a divorce mediator.

Karpin received several letters of warning from the Arizona State Bar, telling him to cease and desist, but he ignored the letters, continuing to offer legal advice to his unknowing clients.
In addition to fraud, Karpin allegedly also committed identity theft.

Michael Urbano, Karpin’s former defense attorney in the case, said he was shocked to discover that Karpin was using his name on documents and in person.

“When a search was executed on his office, it was discovered he stole my identity.” said Urbano.

Karpin, who chose to represent himself, addressed the jury during his closing arguments. In his defense, he referred to the victims who continued to pay for his services despite their supposed concerns and questions.

“You don’t tip the thief!” he exclaimed.

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>>Email the editor at aklaw@zoniereport.com.