A Westerville man was sentenced to serve time in prison for defrauding a Zanesville family and pretending to be an attorney. .

Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Westerville Man Sentenced for Theft, Pretending to Be an Attorney

A Westerville man was sentenced to serve time in prison for defrauding a Zanesville family and pretending to be an attorney.

On July 29, John D. Allen, age 73, of Westerville, appeared in Muskingum Common Pleas Court for sentencing. Judge Kelly Cottrill sentenced Allen to serve one year in prison for his crimes of felony theft and misdemeanor unauthorized practice of law.

Beginning in August 2023, Allen contacted the victim about drafting a trust. The victim was later admitted to the hospital and Allen had him sign the documents.

The victim later passed away, and Allen asked the victim’s daughter to pay for legal services involving her father’s trust.

The daughter, now also a victim, paid Allen upfront for his services involving the trust.

On September 21, 2023, Allen accompanied the daughter to Muskingum County Probate Court, where Allen instructed her to lie to the judge and say he was a family friend assisting her with the legal matter. The hearing about the victim’s trust was rescheduled because Allen had not prepared the trust correctly.

At other times, Allen represented the victim at the U.S. Post office and the bank and acted unprofessionally in both cases. Allen yelled at workers at each location, loudly demanding they give her money. After doing this, Allen requested another payment from the victim, and she complied.

In January 2024, the victim reported to law enforcement that she was the victim of fraud, identifying Allen as the suspect.

During an interview with law enforcement, Allen denied filling out the trust document or claiming he was an attorney. He refused to answer questions about the money he had been charging the victim.

Muskingum County Assistant Prosecutor Gerald Anderson says Allen took advantage of a friend and his family during a time of emotional vulnerability.

“The defendant took advantage of his friend in a time of weakness, and then his friend's family at a time of loss and grief,” Anderson said. “He rejected multiple opportunities to make things right with the family, and only agreed to pay back what he defrauded after he was charged criminally. Through a pre-sentence investigation, it was discovered that the defendant had been defrauding and impersonating an attorney for a long time. Hopefully, after he has served time in prison, the defendant will change his ways, and others who prey upon those going through a difficult time will think twice.”



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Westerville Man Sentenced for Theft, Pretending to Be an Attorney