Beaumont attorney sentenced to 15 years for swindling $1M from clients

On Monday Beaumont attorney Kip Lamb, 57, was sentenced to 15 years for swindling more than a million dollars from two separate clients.

Court records show that on April 14, 2008, Lamb received $1,094,611 into a trust account as his client’s (New Life Tabernacle Church) portion of a hurricane insurance settlement.

Lamb later transferred the funds to other bank accounts for his own personal use and his law firm’s use, according to court documents.

Last year, Lamb was charged with two counts of misapplication of fiduciary property. He pleaded guilty in February.

The second charge accused Lamb of taking a female client’s trust of more than $200,000.

Criminal District Judge John Stevens also ordered Lamb to pay restitution for the theft, according to a Channel 6 news report.

The judge sentenced Lamb to 15 years for stealing the church's funds and 10 years for stealing the woman's money. The judge suspended Lamb's sentence for taking the woman's money, meaning his final sentence is 15 years in prison.

Following the May 2012 indictment, Judge Stevens issued a warrant for Lamb’s arrest; however, the attorney fled. Authorities found Lamb in Arkansas on May 8, 2012.

As previously reported, in September the Commission for Lawyer Discipline, an arm of the State Bar of Texas, filed a letter notifying Jefferson County district judges of Lamb's suspension.

The petition to suspend the attorney’s practice was filed July 10 in Jefferson County District Court. Judge Bob Wortham, 58th District Court, granted the petition on July 25, court records show.

On Sept. 6 the commission filed a letter, asking District Clerk Lolita Ramos to disseminate the information that Lamb had been suspended to the Jefferson County District Judges.