10 Years In Jail For Colonia Lawyer Who Stole From Clients: MCPO

COLONIA, NJ — A Metuchen man with a Colonia law office was sentenced to ten years in state prison for stealing $310,000 from his clients, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey said.

Richard Zuvich, 64, of Metuchen, will serve two five-year terms consecutively: one for the misapplication of entrusted property and theft by unlawful taking from one client, and another for theft by deception and theft by failure to make required disposition for another client, Carey said. He must also pay $310,000 restitution to a client, and will be disbarred.

Zuvich was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty earlier this year; the sentence is in accordance with a plea deal struck with prosecutor's this summer.

As an attorney, Zuvich specialized in estate planning. His law office used to be located at 800 Inman Avenue in Colonia. Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said he deceived clients in two separate instances: First, Zuvich admitted he took the proceeds from a house sale, put the funds into a trust account, and then withdrew proceeds for his own personal gain without the clients' authorization.

In the second case, Zuvich also admitted he secretly negotiated an insurance settlement for a house that burnt down on behalf of a client, without her consent or knowledge. He then proceeded to steal the settlement money.

Zuvich stole the clients funds between May 8, 2015 and July 2017. Woodbridge police were called in to help the Middlesex County prosecutor's office with the investigation.

Zuvich was admitted to the New Jersey State Bar in 1980. He was suspended from the practice of law on May 30, 2017.

With previous reporting by Carly Baldwin