Attorney General's News Release

January 19, 2007

Springfield man arrested on charges he misrepresented that he could practice law

Springfield, Mo. — A Springfield man was arrested Thursday (Jan. 18) on charges he defrauded several people by misrepresenting that he could practice law. Alton Louis Vaughn (DOB - 8/17/56) was indicted on eight counts of unlawful merchandising practices by the Greene County grand jury at the request of Attorney General Jay Nixon, whose office will prosecute the case. The defendant is currently being held on $75,000 bond and will face arraignment on Jan. 25.

Vaughn, who often refers to himself with the title "Bishop," is charged with knowingly defrauding at least eight individuals into paying him more than $60,000 for legal services between December 2003 and May 2005, even though the defendant was not licensed to practice law. Vaughn allegedly misrepresented that he was able to practice law and provide legal services to residents of southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas through Pro Se Help International and Citizens for Pro Se, organizations he helped found. Vaughn would allegedly demand additional payments from his clients while claiming to represent them, fail to complete work on the cases and then neglect to refund payments made to him by those clients.

Nixon said Vaughn's alleged victims included:

• A Taney County woman who paid the defendant $9,000 to represent her in a child custody case and whose children were adopted by another family while Vaughn claimed he was working on the case;
• An Arkansas man who paid the defendant $18,000 for legal representation in a divorce, wrongful termination dispute and criminal case before Vaughn missed numerous court appearances and failed to file the proper paperwork while neglecting to refund any of the funds paid to him;
• An Arkansas man who paid Vaughn $5,000 to help secure his son's early release from prison who did not receive any of the money back from the defendant when his son wasn't granted early release.

In November, Nixon filed four counts of unlawful merchandising practices against Vaughn. Those allegations will now be prosecuted as part of the grand jury indictment, along with the four additional charges.

Unlawful merchandising practices is a Class D felony under Missouri law, punishable upon conviction by up to four years in prison and a fine of $5,000 per count. The pending charges against the defendant are merely accusations. As in all criminal cases, the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to the Press Secretary.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818