LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas personal injury lawyer has been arrested in a theft case stretching back years.
Beginning in March, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detectives began to receive reports from multiple victims regarding a local personal injury lawyer. Victims that have to this date filed police reports, all allege that their personal injury attorney, later identified as 53-year-old Matthew Dunkley, misappropriated financial settlements the victims were to receive as a result of their cases in which Dunkley represented them.
The reports indicated that Dunkley, in addition to misappropriating the settlements to the victims, also took money from the insurance companies that were intended to cover the victims’ medical bills. The victims never received their settlements and are now being held personally responsible for the unpaid medical bills.
On Monday, Dunkley was located by detectives with the LVMPD Major Violators Section Repeat Offender Program and taken into custody. He was transported to the Clark County Detention Center where he faces at least 39 counts of theft.
As of his arrest, detectives believe approximately $1.8 million was taken from victims.
Detectives are asking any additional clients of Dunkley Law who may be awaiting settlements and were victimized by this scheme, to contact the LVMPD Theft Crimes Bureau at 702-828-3483.
Clear Counsel Law Group has assumed some of the cases, but these clients may still have been victimized by Dunkley.
In 2017, the Nevada bar asked Clear Counsel to assist Mr. Dunkley's former clients with open legal matters. Clear Counsel Law Group has no other relationship with Mr. Dunkley.
Many of these cases were from personal injury cases that had occurred as far back as 2012, and one of the incidents involved a 5-year-old child who had been the victim of a dog attack. These victims also filed complaints with the State Bar of Nevada.
According to the website of the State Bar of Nevada, Dunkley was suspended from practicing law in October of 2017.
