VERO BEACH — A former Vero Beach attorney who stood before a judge Thursday and pled guilty to theft and theft-related charges that could send him to prison for 50 years has asked the court to withdraw his plea. The withdrawal is scheduled to be heard in court on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Richard Brown, 44, who once practiced on the barrier island has been in jail awaiting trial for many months now after being accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his clients over the last few years.
His trial was set for early next year but on Thursday, Brown changed his not guilty plea to guilty in exchange for the state dropping most of the 14 charges related to theft and fraud cases.
Still, the three charges that remained after the plea deal in which Brown said he was guilty could have put him away for 50 years, although it was unlikely to happen.
The minimum prison time Brown faced was 20 months under state guidelines although that to could have been reduced if a judge took into account the time that he has already served in jail.
After Thursday’s plea deal, Brown was told that sentencing would be in Judge Robert Pegg’s courtroom on Jan. 18.
On Friday, a motion with withdraw the plea was filed on Brown’s behalf. Brown’s attorney John Unruh did not return a message for comment.