A Massachusetts attorney has been charged with embezzling $2.5 million from a couple and their businesses, with the attorney blaming his actions on an addiction to prostitutes and a failed investment in a Florida spa, according to federal prosecutors.
David Smerling, 74, of Lexington, allegedly engaged in multiple fraudulent schemes to defraud the unnamed couple. These schemes included overcharging himself for agreed-upon legal and bookkeeping services, transferring funds into his own account, and applying for unauthorized loans using the victims’ names. A criminal complaint filed on Monday outlined how Smerling executed these fraudulent activities.
Federal authorities arrested Smerling on Tuesday, and he made an initial appearance in federal court, where a U.S. magistrate judge ordered his release with certain conditions. Neither a government representative nor Smerling’s attorney immediately provided a comment in response to requests for clarification.
The complaint describes how Smerling transferred money from the victims’ accounts through an intermediary account owned by one of the victims before ultimately transferring the funds into his own account. In an effort to conceal his conduct, Smerling had the victims’ bank statements sent to his home address, rather than to the victims’ address, prosecutors said.
