Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 79-year-old Carl B. Kustell of Clarence has been sentenced by Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan to a conditional discharge, 100 hours of community service and is ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $100/month.

The defendant admitted to stealing $236,250 from an elderly client between May 2017 and September 2017.

In December 2018, Kustell pleaded guilty to one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class “C” felony. The defendant pleaded guilty to the highest sustainable charge and the only count in the indictment against him. He was subsequently disbarred from practicing law.

In addition to his plea, the defendant signed a confession of judgment admitting restitution owed to the victim. 

The case was investigated by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office Special Investigations and Prosecutions (SIP) Bureau.

The case was prosecuted by Candace K. Vogel, Chief of the DA’s SIP Bureau.