An article in the Union Leader reports that David Burns is already serving time in a New Hampshire state prison after being convicted of trying to strangle his girlfriend in 2004. Now he faces an additional sentence of up to 20 years after pleading guilty in U.S. Federal Court to wire fraud charges.
Burns’ daughter was born in 1988 but suffered brain damage. A medical malpractice suit was filed against a Boston hospital and, in 1996, his daughter was awarded a 1.7 million dollar settlement with interest. That award plus interest – about 2.4 million dollars - was deposited in 1999 into a Massachusetts account under the management of a Boston law firm.
The money was supposed to benefit his daughter, but prosecutors said Burns used the cash for himself to cover attorneys’ fees, bail for criminal charges against him, drug rehabilitation, race cars, funeral expenses and to buy illegal drugs.
In the period from 1999 to 2003 Burns helped himself to about 1.6 million dollars averaging about $35,000 a month.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold H. Huftalen said he’s never seen a case quite like this. “It’s an extraordinary case. It’s a disturbing case,” he said yesterday.
The investigation into the fraud started when the Rockingham County Probate Court asked the Office of Public Guardian to inquire into the withdrawals. That investigation involved the FBI, the state Attorney General’s Office and Kingston New Hampshire police.
As a result of this case the Office of Public Guardian also brought suit to recover the stolen funds from the law firm that managed the account. That suit was settled.
Jim
Dave
October 6, 2008 at 12:22 pm |
Wow…nothing worse than stealing from your own flesh and blood. Glad to see this man get put behind bars for even longer. New Hampshire’s Scum!
December 1, 2008 at 11:34 am |
this article has some false information in it. I am the aunt of Alexis janet Burns, Dave burns daughter. “Burns’ daughter was born in 1988 but suffered brain damage” this informations is INCORRECT. Alexis has the IQ of any normal person and suffers no brain damage. She is handicapped in her legs and walks with a limp. Her mental capacity was not affected in any way byt his. Yes david did take some of her money and is doing time for that, Alexis is in the process of getting her gaurdianship changed so that she will legally be in the care of my mother. She has for the past 4 years been a ward of the state and the state of NH continue to EAT OFF HER MONEY. She was staying with a woman named april in rochester, April was getting paid 3500 a month to take care of her but instead of caring ofr her she made her sleep on the floor, made her work at kmart only to take half of her check and abused her. The state has been giving our family hell and does not want us to have alexis because they want her money, everyone has used this girl since she was born and that money is for her and no one else. My mother is attempting to but a BLOCK on the money and use it to buy her a home, a car, and bring her to therapy for her legs and put her through college. I plan to go to school to become a social worker so i can put these kinds of people behind bars, the cruel people who can take a handicapped child and abuse and neglect her for money. April would not bring alexis to the doctor so she ran away and went to the hospital, she was so sick they kept her there for three days. This woman will never work for the sate again and im going to make sure of it.