The Zonie Report
Fake divorce lawyer gets 15 years
By Maria Polletta · November 30, 2008 ·
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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