A well known Carlisle attorney is facing more than two dozen charges. Karl Rominger is accused of stealing money that should have been paid to his clients and using it to gamble. Romginer says he wants to pay back his clients. But Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed says disbarred Attorney Karl Rominger stole from people he was supposed to help.
“Lawyers are entrusted with not only people’s secrets, not only their hopes and desires but also their treasure,” said Freed.
Rominger is best known for being a member of Jerry Sandusky’s defense team. Last year he admitted to investigators that about $800,000 of clients’ funds were missing from accounts. Freed describes the evidence that triggered this investigation:
“He made attempts to delay the court proceeding where that transfer would take place and ultimately when the day came for the transfer to take place he could not make the transfer because he did not have the money,” said Freed.
Court documents state he used the money for personal use and to gamble. An example of how Rominger operated: one of his client’s, a victim of an accident, received $500,000 as a settlement. But that client only received $65,000 from Rominger. Freed’s office discovered that Rominger stole about $535,000 from his clients altogether. But that’s not all.
“I can tell you as we stand here today I can tell you there is at least one more claim that we feel we’re very close to being able to prove – that will be added to these charges as time goes forward,” said Freed.
In a Facebook post, Rominger admitted to the charges. He said he had a gambling problem and takes full responsibility. He also says he plans to pay back the people he stole from. Freed doesn’t think that’s possible.
“We pursue prison sentences because in the absence of the ability to pay back the only just punishment is to put someone behind bars,” said Freed.
