Well-Known Abilene Attorney Indicted and Arrested on Charges of Stealing from Clients

ABILENE, TX-- An Abilene Attorney has been indicted and arrested on charges of stealing settlement money from clients, KTXS reports.

Burt Lee Burnett, 51, is described as a well-known attorney in the Big Country. He was arrested on Thursday on two counts of misapplication of fiduciary property. He was later released on bonds totalling $110,000.

A Grand Jury indicted Burnett on June 28, but KTXS says that indictment was sealed until his arrest.

The indictment accuses Burnett of stealing more than $300,000 from Nancy Edwards and her sister, along with up to $30,000 from Terri Brown and Broderick Leyba-Brown.

Edwards and her sister were rear ended on Ranger Hill by an 18-wheeler which led to Burnett getting her a $1 million settlement. They never saw that money which led them to file a lawsuit.

In April, Burnett told KTXS that someone in his law firm stole the money. KTXS was unable to reach Burnett for comment.

Judge Jim Eidson and District Attorney James Hicks have each filed motions to be recused from the case.

Court documents state Hicks had previously hired Burnett as a personal injury attorney for his family and that Eidson has known Burnett “for many years.”

Coleman County District Attorney Heath Hemphill was appointed by Judge Eidson as the special prosecutor.

Due to Judge Eidson’s relationship with Burnett, he asked Dean Rucker, the Presiding Judge of the Seventh Administrative Region, to appoint a replacement.

Burnett’s law license was suspended in June of 2017 by the State Bar of Texas for professional misconduct. The state’s website says he is still ineligible to practice law.

Burnett is facing six lawsuits from 10 plaintiffs across the Big Country. He is accused of pocketing just over $2 million in total from the plaintiffs’ settlements.