{Huntington, West Virginia}...Mason County public defender Jeremy T. Vickers, 36, of Summerville, accused of flagrantly over-billing the state, was sentenced to almost two years in federal prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to wire fraud in October. Vickers represented indigent clients in criminal cases in Mason, Jackson and Roane counties. Afterward, he submitted payment vouchers to the Circuit Courts where each case was heard, using the Huntington-based Attorney Finance Corporation, essentially a payday loan service for public defenders. Prosecutors say, for at least 173 days over a period of two years, he claimed to work more than 24 hours a day. By the time the state looked into the billing, Vickers had been paid more than $221,000 for the over-billed hours.Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Mason County Public Defender Sentenced
{Huntington, West Virginia}...Mason County public defender Jeremy T. Vickers, 36, of Summerville, accused of flagrantly over-billing the state, was sentenced to almost two years in federal prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to wire fraud in October. Vickers represented indigent clients in criminal cases in Mason, Jackson and Roane counties. Afterward, he submitted payment vouchers to the Circuit Courts where each case was heard, using the Huntington-based Attorney Finance Corporation, essentially a payday loan service for public defenders. Prosecutors say, for at least 173 days over a period of two years, he claimed to work more than 24 hours a day. By the time the state looked into the billing, Vickers had been paid more than $221,000 for the over-billed hours.