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Once at top, now disgraced
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By MARK HAYWARD
New Hampshire Union Leader
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009
MANCHESTER – A once-prominent, politically connected Manchester lawyer has been charged with bilking a client of more than $2.3 million and is expected to plead guilty to fraud-related charges early next month in U.S. District Court, federal prosecutors said yesterday.
Thomas J. Tessier, 71, one of the partners in the now-defunct Christy & Tessier law firm, is expected to appear in court Nov. 4 and enter guilty pleas to bank fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kinsella.
Tessier has already signed a plea agreement and will likely be sentenced to a prison term, Kinsella said.
Tessier is a nephew to the former Gov. John King, and he served on the Manchester Board of Water Commissioners for 23 years, most of that time as the board president.
Two top prosecutors in New Hampshire have had to distance themselves from the case. John Kacavas, the newly appointed U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire, recused himself from overseeing the case because of business affiliations with Tessier, said Kinsella, whose work is being directed by Maine U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby.
And the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office recused itself from pursuing state charges, turning the case over to Cheshire County Attorney Peter Heed, Kinsella said.
Efforts to reach Kacavas and New Hampshire Attorney General Mike Delaney, a neighbor of Tessier, were unsuccessful last night.
Kinsella said the IRS, Secret Service and Postal Inspection Service continue to investigate the case.
"The investigation into other individuals who might also be responsible is not complete," Kinsella said last night.
The case involves the family of Beatrice Jakobiec, who died in 2001 and had set up trusts for her two sons. One is Dr. Frederick Jakobiec, an eye pathology director at the Harvard Medical School infirmary, according to a civil suit the family filed last year. The other, Thaddeus Jakobiec, is blind, according to court papers in the criminal case.
According to documents provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Tessier allegedly submitted documents to banks with forged signatures, which gave him access to certificates of deposit. He also allegedly used a fraudulent power of attorney to sell the family home. Finally, he alledgedly cashed in Jakobiec insurance policies, investment accounts and trust accounts, allegedly claiming he had the legal right to do so.
Although he funneled small amounts to the family, Tessier is accused of keeping more than $2.3 million for himself. Kinsella said Tessier spent most of the money on personal expenses.
A substantial amount of money has been repaid to the victims, Kinsella said.
Tessier was disbarred in December 2008. Still unresolved are a civil suit filed by the Jakobiecs and state charges out of the Cheshire County Attorney's Office.
In total, the federal charges carry a prison sentence of 60 years, but the plea agreement says several aspects of the case allow for a shorter sentence.
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YOUR COMMENTS
Bill--What? You're NOT going to blame the parents? It seems as though everyone around here always blames the parents for a person's actions. I guess in your opinion since their dead it doesn't matter for a 71-year-old though. I would call your attitude age-ism.
- Michelle, Manchester
I wonder where all the money went? To his wife, his sibblings, did he share the wealth with his family? I wish there was more information made public, so if there were any other victioms out there, they would have an idea what to the signs are. If a crooked lawyer did this once, he has done it before. Talk about the perfect crime, who else but a family's lawyer would know where to start digging to the family's money.
- tom, Manchester
I love to see a lawyer in the hot seat.....it's about time one of these money grabbing thieves got what they deserve. I'm eating this up.
- tracy, manchester
Watch the 60 year sentence get reduced to 6 for good behavior, his Little League contribution etc. and the fact that his judge was once a lawyer himself. Brothers in crime? We'll have to wait and see.
- DHB, Merritt Island FL
Douglas Thornton - what does party affiliation have to do with anything, besides giving you a thin excuse for ranting? How about the sex perverts crawling through the GOP - Larry Craig, Doug Vitter,, etc.? What does that tell us about the party of family values?
- zoot, manchester
My lawyer stole 50,000 from me at least.
- jeff tamblyn, manchester
I've known Tom Tessier for 30 years and can honestly say that I've never known a more honorable person. There is definitely more to this story then has been reported in the press. Tom, my thoughts are with you.
- Tom, Manchester
Thankfully his father is not around to see /hear what his son has been accused of. Mr. Tessier - the father was a fine, upstanding gentlemen. Unfortunate what money and/or greed can do. He certainly did not learned that from his parents.
- Bill, Manchester
I hope this is a wakeup call for anyone who did business with Tessier either as an atty, in business, or through is government service. Thieves seldom steal just once, liers seldom lie just once. Authorities should dig deeper.
- Jake Desjardin, Salem, NH
What a nice guy. He volunteered time for organizations. He was a big influence on families. Yeah, all the while he was living the high life on other people's money. Of course he was so giving because everything was going great. I am sure this wasn't the only family he did this to. I'd like to see his prior cases & see how much he stole in addition to this family.
This is probably a bigger problem than you think with attorneys.
- Dave, Manchester
Hmmmm. He did what he thought was best for the Jakobiec family. Give us some facts, even just a hint, that would lead a rational person to that conclusion.
- John, ME
A lawyer who steals? Nahh.....
- RJ, Concord
Then why would be be pleading guilty to the theft. How can you say he did what was best for the family. Stealing from them is best??? Where are your morals?
- Sandra, Pembroke
Posts like Mike P. from Bedford who talk about this thief being a volunteer for Babe Ruth make me shake my head in disbelief. We are punished for the wrong that we do. Nothing a lawyer does for a family, a widow, would be worth 2.3 million, unless she agreed to that sum. If he stole the money he needs to be fairly punished and it should not be mitigated by doing good works. This is how the Priests got away with their crimes for so long. If we look the other way because of these public good acts, then we are facilitators to the private bad ones. If he deserves jail I don't care how many baseball games he worked.
- Sheila, Merrimack
So sad. Tom has been such a great influence to my family and myself for more years that I care to say. Tom handled cases for me and was the ultimate gentlemen and attorney. We may never know the whole story, but I would venture that Atty Tessier did what he thought was best for the Jacobiec family.
Prayers are with his family.
- Bob, Stuart, FL
Give us the full story Joan if it is exonerating? Is he Robin Hood?
- A Reader, Manchester,NH
How nice he coached babe ruth baseball, and was a really nice man. I guess that gives him a pass to steal from a blind guy.
- G, Nashua
The entire story is still not being divluged. Those who know Tom know what really happened. He is an upstanding individual and always will be as far as I'm concerned. People don't know the whole story and maybe never will and he'll go to prison...at least he'll have a free conscience.
- Joan, Manchester
Wow! Gary, you must be so proud of yourself. Not only did you get to be the first post, you managed to take a criminal act by a lawyer and turn it into a rant about the dreaded "private sector" and greed. The mental gymnastics required to pull off such a feat must be a sight to behold.
- Ron, Manchester
To Mike in Bedford,
I think being a coach and leading a team to Babe Ruth League makes this man even more dispicable. He stole from a blind man and his brother. I could care less that this man coached 40years ago. Doesn't make him great guy. I hope he rots his sory butt in jail.
- Jami, Rochester
And this is only one they caught. Imagine how many more get away
- Harry, Atkinson
Mike, what in God's name does little league coaching have to do with this? He's worse than a common thief, and should be made an example of. Lock him up and throw away the key!
- Fred, Nashua
Joe: "usually trusted professionals can STEAL from people."; you do know he was a lawyer, right?
- Joel, New Boston
What's done is done. But many of you should know that Tom spent many years and devoted much of his time as a coach in the Manchester Babe Ruth League in the 60's and helped lead one of their all star teams to the Babe Ruth World Series.
- Mike Pstragowski, Bedford
Looks like Bernie Madoff may be getting a roommate.... ;)
- Dave, Keene, NH
Sure Gary , that will work out fine .
- Lew, Manchester
This man was a Democrat. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In typical Democrat fashion, he inherited his seat on the water board when his father retired. Me first and greed yes, but don't blame the private sector.
- Douglas Thornton, Surry
At age 71 whatever sentence he gets could be a life sentence.
It's all about greed. What makes these accounts, financial people and the rest of the Madolf's of the world think that such large sums of money fraud/theft will go un-noticed. From a respected professional to a convict almost overnight.
Joe from Pelham: Do you think asking a professional athlete might work? I'll be glad to give it a try. At least it's legal.
A million would be enough for me...LOL
- BA, Derry
Too bad.
A guy who had everything has left his family in shambles.
Will there be a scramble for the one and two digit license plates that Tessier got from "Uncle John King?"
- Bill Howard, Exeter
Disgusting. The poor brothers lost their mother, one brother is blind, and the other went into the health field as an eye pathologist (I assume to research blindness!) and they were robbed blind by a sorry excuse of a man. I hope he enjoyed his life of leisure (“personal expenses”) on someone else’s dime, because now at 71 years old, Tessier will be living the rest of his life miserably – hopefully behind bars.
On a lighter note, I had a wonderful experience with a lawyer who showed integrity and compassion during a most difficult time, then again, she was from Devine Millimet.
- Withheld, Manchester
It is upsetting to say the least that our usually trusted professionals can STEAL from people. I wonder how many months in a plush golf course he will get?
- Joe, Pelham
I suspect that private sector and a personal, "me first", greed philosophy is at play here. If he wanted those millions, then why not just ask a professional athlete for a gift. Some of those who play collect tens of millions per year!
- Gary L. Kerr, Chichester
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