H. Valley Lawyer Stole Clients From Firm In $4M Scheme: Feds

HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA — A Montgomery County man and longtime personal injury attorney has been charged after allegedly stealing clients from the firm for which he worked, according to authorities.

Neil I. Mittin, 64, of Huntingdon Valley, worked for the last 38 years for his Philadelphia-based firm, according to the US Attorney's office.

But at some point in 2008, he began putting aside a number incoming clients — some personal injury matters, some other types — and then referring them to attorneys in other firms, officials said.

He did so without the clients asking, and often without them even knowing or understanding that they'd been referred elsewhere. He was able to keep it under wraps from his employer by closing the files on those clients, making it appear that a settlement or resolution was impossible, and the case therefore not one that should be taken on by the firm.

The outside attorneys, in turn, paid Mittin a referral fee of around 33 to 40 percent of the fees received by the attorneys if the case in question was resolved successfully, officials said. All told, the personal injury matters that Mittin sold made about $10,800,000 in settlements and recoveries, and Mittin himself made about $4,200,000, the US Attorney's Office said.

The scheme continued for a full decade, up through 2018, authorities said.

Mittin faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the charge of mail fraud.