A Rankin County jury indicted suspended attorney Mike Brown on August 12 on four counts of embezzlement in the guardianship of D'Mond McClinton. D'Mond McClinton is the grandson of Mississippi civil rights hero Aaron Henry and inherited $3.5 million when his mother died in 2000. Mr. Brown and Thomas McClinton, the father of D'Mon, established a guardianship as young McClinton was only sixteen years old when his mother passed away.
The indictments allege $1 million "came into the defendant's possession" on February 20, 2001. It states instead of depositing the money into a guardianship account as ordered by the court, he allegedly deposited the money into his escrow account. Mr. Brown then "allegedly" wrote two checks to Linus Shackelford for $250,000 and $300,000 in 2001 (Copies of the checks are included in the documents posted below.). Mr. Brown is a resident of Rankin County and practices law in Flowood. The indictment also "alleges" Mr. Brown embezzled $1,299 in 2001 when he paid for license plate tags in that amount at the Rankin County Tax Collectors office. The McClintons did not live in Rankin County at the time.
The Special Master's report in the guardianship case in Hinds County states checks drawn on Mr. Brown's escrow account were made payable to several car dealerships. The report states the following purchases were made:
The list shows vehicles were purchased:
2-21-01: Blackwell Imports, $54,070
2-21-01: Blackwell Imports, $42,186
2-21-01: Blackwell Imports, $50,582
2-22-01: Gray-Daniels: $26,500
2-22-01: North Park Acura: $26,500
3-7-01: Paul Moak, $35,750
3-8-01: Blackwell Auto Complex (American), $38,815
Total spent on cars within two week period: $274,403
Several checks were made payable to the Rankin County Tax Collector after the cars were purchased. The petition filed on June 16, 2000 states Thomas McClinton was a resident of Hinds County: "Thomas A. McClinton, Jr. is an adult resident of Hinds County, Mississippi and resides at 811 Forest Avenue, Apartment 100, Jackson Mississippi 39206." The petition for approval of engagement letter filed on February 8, 2001 states Thomas McClinton is "an adult resident of Hinds County". However, Mike Brown has lived on Whipporwill Road in Rankin County since 1995 according to Rankin County tax records. No checks were made payable to the Hinds County Tax Collector. Mr. Brown wrote the following checks to the Rankin County Tax Collector:
2-21-01: $1,299
2-23-01: $154
2-26-01: $191
The February 21, 2001 check was written the same day several purchases were made at Blackwell Imports in Jackson. More purchases of cars were made later that month but only Blackwell Imports purchases were made prior to the writing of that check.
The Rankin-Madison District Attorney's office closely monitored this case. This correspondent observed Tommy Mayfield and other prosecutors attending each hearing on the guardianship in Hinds County. There are no indictments at this time for other parties in the case such as Linus Shackelford, Thomas McClinton, and Lottie Campbell.
Mr. Brown is currently a resident of the Rankin County jail after a Rankin County Chancellor found him in contempt of court for embezzlement on the Ray estate in May. Chancellor Dan Fairly incarcerated Mr. Brown until he purged himself of the contempt by repaying $37,000 to the estate.
Note: The indictment follows what Judge Thomas stated in his order finding Mr. Brown in contempt of court and reported earlier on JJ:
"The court established the guardianship in 2000 when Demon was sixteen years old. Young McClinton inherited the money from his mother, Rebecca Henry. Mr. Brown was supposed to deposit $3 million in a bank on behalf of Demon McClinton, and report to the court on an accounting of all funds. The lawyer failed to do so after the court asked him twice in April 2011 and January 2012.
Judge Thomas ruled no guardianship account at a bank was ever established. The court also said Mr. Brown loaned $550,000 to Linus Shackleford from the McClinton funds. Mr. Brown personally "borrowed" $507,745 in January 2001 and he then forged two checks in 2002 for $205,020 and $32,725....
The court had also approved a $398,000 payment in 2001 to Mr. Brown for "his efforts in procuring this minor's funds from his mother's estate." Judge Thomas ruled the fee was obtained through fraud and ordered it paid back to Demon McClinton.
Judge Thomas was very harsh in his description of Mr. Thomas' actions: "the acts of Brown in representing the minor have been intentional acts to steal and defraud the minor of the funds inherited from his mother."
Earlier posts: Attorney Mike Brown jailed for embezzlement, Judge sets bail for Mike Brown ,Brown free, Judge freezes assets of Mike Brown & Linus Shackelford, Brown suspended by bar, grilled by Judge Grant, Where is the money?, More Shackelford shenanigans, Special Master casts blame on Brown, Judge Thomas jails Brown again, Judge orders Shackelford to produce the money or else, Brown pays tax collector for cars... in Rankin Court to Shack: Do not pass go..., Mike Brown update, pour a drink, Jail, Time for a Mike Brown update, Brown back in jail
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Rankin grand jury indicts Mike Brown
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19 comments:
Glad to see this taken up in Rankin County and D.A. Michael Guest. I would presume that similar charges will be brought in Hinds County - hopefully soon. In the meantime, Brown is just where he needs to be.
What is the deal with some people and cars? Last time I checked you could only drive 1 at a time and they are not an investment.
Stealing money and blowing it on gambling, drugs and hookers makes more sense than buying 8 cars.
We like the cars, the cars that go BOOM
Who needs the Bar Association when we have Jackson Jambalaya ensuring the work gets done to purge the ranks of criminals.
The bar is a joke. Lawyer I know, well respected and practicing for decades, fired a junior associate for poaching clients in his own office. "He'll charge you this much, I'll charge you this much" and it never made it to the books. SO he sues him and files bar complaint. The punks at the Bar said they wouldn't pursue it unless he dropped suit so he does. They then give this thief a private reprimand. Case closed. Same bunch that didn't suspend Vann Leonard after he was convicted in federal court for embezzling over $300,000 from a client or only suspended Walter Wood for six months after he had a client give him blowjobs at the county jail in Madison. The bar is a joke.
I thought an earlier report on this site said he purchased the cars for D'mond's family members.
He wasn't supposed to do anything with the money without prior court approval. If Brown thought Demond needed cars, he should have gone to the court and asked for permission to buy one rather than getting the checkbook out. Brown didn't have the authority to spend one dime of Demond's money without getting the Judge's approval first.
I hear that neither Shackelford or Brown have paid a penny back to McClintion. Not a penny.
Brown needs to rot in jail, while his family lives it up in Alabama with out him.
Glen Waddle was possibly the most offensive man I have ever spoken to, I called about an over-billing situation and he acted like I was the one on the stand. I informed him I wasn't giving a deposition and asked him if this is the way the Bar treat the general public with profession legal conduct concerns. I seemed that he was trying to protect his own kind. I have no faith that the bar does anything to unethical attorneys.
What's the status of Thomas McClinton?
"We like the cars, the cars that go BOOM
That was a great song. "We like the BOOM"
Supersonic
Shackelford has been a true embarasment to his family over this ordeal.
Glen Waddle is appropiately named! He's a fat, bloated slab of s#*#. Waddle could not cut it in private practice so they give the dull ox a job at the bar to keep hi off welfare. The man is a joke.
Mississippi has plenty to be ashamed of. Add the Ms Bar to the list.
Oh and excuse the iPhone typos! You get the message. Glen Waddle is pathetic tub of lard.
Brown is where he should be and yes, the Mississippi Bar is a pathetic joke...seems certain lawyers can do whatever they want to do and once reported to the Mississippi Bar, HA, said lawyer is given a "thumbs-up..." I know this from personal experience after I filed a Bar complaint against a certain female lawyer that comes from a well-known Jackson family and was told that she did "nothing illegal," ...I hope that if she is ever brought down, that she rots in hell too, along with Brown. Like the ole saying goes, you can run but you can't hide, meaning you cannot hide from your maker...ever...just saying...
Did you lose interest in this case? Did you forget there was a hearing yesterday?
Just checked with DA's office on status. Trial has been reset for August 12. His sorry butt is still in Rankin County jail.
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