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Wheaton attorney facing theft charges is disbarred

A Wheaton attorney facing criminal charges for stealing more than $2 million from his clients has been disbarred.

The Illinois Supreme Court and the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission orders released Thursday state that Robert Beck, licensed in 1995, was disbarred because he "intentionally misappropriated funds in excess of $700,000 from two elderly clients, one of whom suffered from dementia, and an additional $189,500 from the estate of a third client following that client's death."

In his criminal case, Beck, 49, of the 26W100 block of Embden Lane, is accused of bilking the estates of four former and three current clients of $1 million from July 2011 through January 2015. He is free on $250,000 bail.

Prosecutors have alleged Beck would steal money from a client's trust for the estate and use that money for personal and business expenses. He would then steal money from another client's trust for the estate and use that money to pay back the estate of his previous victims.

Beck also is accused of shifting roughly $1.3 million among the trusts using one to pay the heirs of another to cover up the thefts.

Beck's alleged scheme came to light when a bank investigator became suspicious of the transactions. Beck is next due on Thursday.

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