A New York attorney has confessed in federal court to quietly draining more than $500,000 from a trust that was supposed to manage a commercial building in New Canaan. Edward W. Miller, 70, of Lawrence, N.Y., pleaded guilty to wire fraud and is set to be sentenced in federal court this summer.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Miller waived his right to be indicted and entered his guilty plea in Bridgeport federal court on Friday. The office said the case was investigated by the FBI’s New Haven Division, is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang, and that the wire fraud charge carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.
How prosecutors say the theft worked
Prosecutors say Miller was appointed trustee of the M.P. Trust, formed in 2014 to hold several properties, including a New Canaan commercial building, and was instructed to open a trust bank account to collect rent and pay expenses, as reported by CT Insider. The trust provided that Miller would receive 5% of total monthly rents and certain commissions, but court records say he instead treated the trust account like his own private cash pool for years.
Federal filings cited by prosecutors say that from about February 2016 through September 2022, Miller wrote unauthorized checks to himself, his law practice and relatives, and made transfers and withdrawals for his personal benefit, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The office also says that after the trust’s creator died in 2022, Miller lied to beneficiaries about what the trust owned, where the assets were and how they would be distributed, and that he has already paid $509,372.82 in restitution as part of a civil settlement.
Case status and next steps
Miller is currently free on a $200,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 13, 2026, according to CT Insider. The outlet also notes the civil settlement and restitution payment, while federal prosecutors continue to highlight the matter as a textbook example of what can go wrong when a professional trustee abuses that role.
Legal consequences and trustee duties
Trustees occupy a strict fiduciary position and are legally required to act for the benefit of beneficiaries rather than themselves, a duty that can spark civil lawsuits and, when deception is involved, criminal charges. The American Bar Association has cautioned that attorney‑trustees operate under a microscope and that self‑dealing or sloppy accounting can trigger disbarment, court orders to repay funds and other serious sanctions, making Miller’s case a pointed warning for lawyers who wear the trustee hat.
At sentencing, the judge will have to balance any prison time against the restitution already made, and beneficiaries could still decide to pursue additional civil claims. For New Canaan property owners and local landlords, the case serves as a blunt reminder to scrutinize trust account records and insist on clear, timely reporting from anyone with authority over the money.
