CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Charleston attorney who swindled more than $1 million from clients and investors is going to prison for two years and will be forced to pay restitution to officials with the IRS and others.
Harold “Hal” Albertson, 65, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court.
Albertson previously plead guilty to evading more than $100,000 in federal taxes and, during his plea hearing, admitted to luring clients into investing money with him by promising a high rate of return.
Those promises were never fulfilled.
Instead, federal prosecutors said Albertson used the money meant for investments to pay his own debts. He would cash checks from clients and then repay someone else.
Officials with State Police and the Internal Revenue Service handled the investigation.