A Westmoreland County attorney embroiled in accusations of theft from a client's estate was arrested yesterday after a confrontation with police. Robert Klingensmith, 61, reportedly became involved in a standoff outside his Murrysville office on Old William Penn Highway as law enforcement officials attempted to carry out an arrest warrant. The incident was confirmed by a spokesperson from the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office.
As officers endeavored to serve the warrant, Klingensmith sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound, which led to him quickly being taken to the hospital for what the district attorney's office described as "life-preserving surgery." The current state of Klingensmith's health remains undisclosed, as WPXI reported.
Details from the court documents reveal a charge against Klingensmith of stealing more than $300,000 from the estate, with allegations dating back to as early as August 2021 and continuing through to March 2024. The allegations include financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person, theft by failure to make required payments of funds, and unauthorized ATM withdrawals and check issuance from the estate in question.
The investigation further purports that Klingensmith neglected to file an inheritance tax return, to properly make tax payments, or to distribute the purloined funds to the rightful heirs of the estate. These claims of procedural and financial misdeed come amidst the broader narrative of the accused's legal wrangling, with the charges having been filed just last week, as WTAE detailed.
