Greenfield lawyer allegedly stole $186K

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A Greenfield lawyer has been indicted by a Franklin County grand jury, for allegedly stealing more than $186,000 from an elderly couple he represented in a personal injury case.

Edward Pepyne, Jr., 58, of South Deerfield, has been indicted on a charge of larceny over $250 on a person over 60 years of age.

According to a news release from the office of Attorney General Martha Coakley, Pepyne had represented an elderly couple following a 2006 auto accident. Pepyne had settled the couple’s personal injury claim without bringing the case to trial.

The couple had agreed to pay Pepyne one third of their settlement, but the Attorney General’s Office says that Pepyne told the couple he had to keep even more money in order to pay for outstanding medical expenses. No such expenses existed, and Pepyne allegedly used the more than $186,000 on himself.

Pepyne has since been disbarred, after his alleged activities were reported to the Office of Bar Counsel.

He will be arraigned in Franklin Superior Court at a later date.