Stanford lawyer pleads guilty to theft, exploitation of veteran

A Stanford attorney pleaded guilty Friday in Lincoln Circuit Court to two felony counts of theft and exploitation, state Attorney General Beshear said in a news release.

Cabell D. Francis II, 68, was charged with theft by unlawful taking over $10,000 and knowing exploitation of an adult over $300.

Francis was appointed to serve as a fiduciary on behalf of the victim, a Stanford man who is disabled and in long-term care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. According to court records, Francis misused $37,340.90 of the victim’s VA benefit payments from April 2014 through Jan. 16, 2015.

“To seek personal gain from a veteran and one of our most vulnerable citizens is very troubling,” Beshear said. “As AG, our role is to protect all Kentuckians from those who wish to defraud them, and I thank the members of my staff who worked on this case to bring justice to the victim.”

According to court records, Francis repaid $4,530 in cash into the victim’s account, bringing the outstanding total to $33,050.28.

As part of the plea, the Commonwealth agreed to reduce the charges to class D felonies and recommended pretrial diversion in return for full restitution of $33,050.28 within 30 days of Francis’ plea of guilty.

The plea also states that Francis must immediately resign his license to practice law in Kentucky under terms of permanent disbarment.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Stanford lawyer pleads guilty to theft, exploitation of veteran."