Springfield man charged with legal-service fraud

Alton Louis Vaughn Sr., 50, was charged with four counts of unlawful merchandising fraud after turning himself in to local law enforcement authorities on Nov. 13. The charges are in connection with Vaughn providing legal services without a law license between March 2003 and May 2006.

The probable cause statement alleges that Vaughn misrepresented that he was able to practice law to residents of southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas through Pro Se Help International, an organization he founded. Vaughn allegedly repeatedly demanded additional payments from his clients, failed to complete work on cases and neglected to refund payments.

Vaughn’s alleged victims include a Taney County woman who paid $9,000 for representation in a child custody case; her children were adopted by another family while Vaughn said he was working on the case.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10. Unlawful merchandising practices are a Class D felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine per count.

This story originally appeared in SBJ’s Nov. 14 free e-news Daily Update. Click here to register.