A former court clerk in Michigan has been indicted on a number of crimes, reported MLive.com — including forgery and the alleged embezzlement of $60,000 from the judge he worked for.
42-year-old Steven Allen of Detroit "is accused of committing the crimes while employed as a court clerk serving a judge in the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County from 2018 to 2022," reported Brandon Champion. Throughout this period, "it is alleged he illegally obtained an ATM card associated with the judge’s accounts, wrongfully made withdrawals and purchases, and forged checks presented to the victim to conceal his thefts."
According to the report, the judge first became suspicious after being alerted to unpaid taxes on a secondary property — despite Allen having provided checks that appeared to have been sent to pay the taxes.
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In fact, the money was allegedly siphoned off into Allen's control.
“Everyone should exercise extreme caution in who you permit to access your financial accounts,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in a statement on the case, adding, “Even judges are not immune to theft, embezzlement and fraud perpetrated against them by those they trust the most. Truly anyone can fall victim to financial exploitation crimes.”
Court clerks often find themselves in a potential position to abuse the power of the court's office. Last year, a Dallas County clerk was indicted for forging a hearing notice to evict a woman.
