PARALEGAL IS SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR EMBEZZLING OVER $2 MILLION
FROM LAW FIRM’S CLIENTS
Jennifer Elaine Roarke, 55, of Hickory, N.C., was sentenced to 30
months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for embezzling more than $2
million from the clients of the Young, Morphis, Bach & Taylor law firm where she was employed as a paralegal.
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, from 2007 to 2021, Roarke, who is
also known as Jennifer Claveria, was employed as an assistant and a paralegal for a law firm in
Hickory. The law firm handled, among other things, the administration and management of
trusts for clients, including the trusts’ bank accounts. As part of her duties, Roarke was
responsible for opening mail, depositing checks into trust bank accounts, and processing
invoices. Court records show that, from 2015 to September 2021, Roarke executed the
embezzlement scheme by causing at least 190 fraudulent and unauthorized bank wires, totaling
more than $2 million, from the law firm’s clients’ trust bank accounts to bank accounts
controlled by Roarke. Roarke used the embezzled funds to pay for personal items, make
mortgage, car, and credit card payments, and to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
On December 1, 2023, Roarke pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She is released on bond. She will be
ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.