New Bears safety Antrel Rolle filed a federal civil complaint against attorney Hiram Martin, of Martin Law & Associates, and Harold Sterling of San Fernando Valley for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, misrepresentation, conspiracy and other counts, according to NJ.com.
Rolle, who signed a three-year, $11.25 million contract with the Bears last week, claims his tax attorney conspired with the president of a “bogus” charity to defraud him of more than $1.8 million, per Courthouse News Service.
Here’s more from Courthouse News:
With his mother Armelia’s help, Rolle says he hired Martin to file his taxes after the attorney said he could save Rolle millions of dollars. According to Rolle, Martin and Sterling conspired to steal more than $1.2 million of his withholdings in the 2005 and 2006 tax years by forging his signature on tax documents. In addition, Martin filed Arizona state tax returns under the NFL player’s name for the tax years 2005 to 2009, pocketing more than $600,000, Rolle says. As president of the Victory Chapel Christian Fellowship Church, Sterling’s bogus charitable organization gave letters to Martin stating that Rolle had made contributions of $632,000 in 2005, and $1,901,000 in 2006, Rolle says.
Rolle is seeking damages of $1,857,303 and is represented by Robert Keaster of the firm Chamberlin Keaster & Brockman in Encino, Calif.
