Lawyer arrested on theft, embezzlement charges

A two-year investigation has led to theft and embezzlement charges against suspended Las Vegas lawyer Jeanne Winkler, who was arrested Tuesday evening by Washoe County sheriff's deputies.

"Jeanne Winkler swore to an oath as an attorney and was entrusted by her clients to uphold that oath," Las Vegas police officer J. Downing wrote in support of an arrest warrant. "Winkler was entrusted by her clients to protect their money which by her own testimony she used for her own personal use."

According to the document, the victims who filed complaints against Winkler with Las Vegas police suffered a total loss of about $143,000.

A criminal complaint, dated Feb. 18, charges Winkler with seven counts of theft. It also charges her with two counts of embezzlement involving a victim who is 60 or older.

Both charges are felonies. The complaint alleges that the crimes occurred between mid-March 2006 and November 2008.

Records show that Winkler, 43, remained in custody Wednesday evening at the Washoe County jail.

Las Vegas attorney Bret Whipple said Winkler's husband notified him of the arrest early Wednesday.

Whipple, who declined to comment on the criminal case, said Winkler had been doing paralegal work for him as an independent contractor at his Reno office and previously did work for his Las Vegas office.

"She no longer does work for Justice Law Center, which is my Las Vegas office," Whipple said.

He said that Winkler moved to Northern Nevada and that he has not decided whether he will use her services in the future.

The Nevada Supreme Court temporarily suspended Winkler in March 2008.

Winkler had submitted an affidavit to the State Bar of Nevada in which she admitted that she had misappropriated money from her attorney-client trust account from early 2007 through January 2008.

"As of January 27, 2008, my trust account balance should have been $216,167.05, but there was only approximately $3,000 in the account at that time," Winkler wrote.

The Clark County district attorney's office filed a felony bad-check charge against Winkler in April 2008. She was accused of bouncing four checks, but the charge was dismissed after she paid about $7,000 in restitution.

Winkler received her license to practice law in Nevada in 1999. She handled primarily cases in Family Court.

In March 2010, a disciplinary panel recommended that Winkler be disbarred for life. The recommendation is pending before the state Supreme Court.

According to the declaration of warrant prepared by Downing, the Las Vegas police criminal intelligence section began investigating Winkler in March 2009.

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.