Executor Accused of Diverting Money Left to 2 Charities

A Boston lawyer has been charged with swindling two charities by diverting to his own use the bulk of a $1.4-million bequest.

John P. Conroy was indicted last month for allegedly stealing $880,000 that had been bequeathed to the American Cancer Society and to Children’s Hospital in Boston. Both charities were named equal beneficiaries in the will of John F. Burke, who died in 1993 and named Mr. Conroy as executor of his estate.

Mr. Conroy, who also faces charges of income-tax evasion, declined to comment on the matter. But his lawyer, Joseph J. Brodigan, said Mr. Conroy denied the charges.

Andrew Zaikis, an Assistant Attorney General of Massachusetts, said Mr. Conroy had charged the estate $635,000 for his services as executor — far more than the 5 per cent or so that would be a reasonable charge for legal services in a straightforward estate like Mr. Burke’s, Mr. Zaikis said. Mr. Conroy never sought the probate court’s approval for his fee nor accounted for the estate’s assets as required by law, Mr. Zaikis said.

In addition to charging an exorbitant fee that diverted funds from the two charities, Mr. Conroy withheld more money that should have been paid to them, Mr. Zaikis said. Each charity to date has received about $200,000.

A probate-court judge has removed Mr. Conroy as executor and has ordered him to pay $800 a week to the estate. The charities say Mr. Conroy has fallen behind on those payments.