Jailed Latrobe attorney's law license suspended

Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court this week formally issued a temporarily suspension order barring Latrobe attorney J. Allen Roth from practicing law.

Roth, 70, has been in jail since early November when he was charged with theft and fraud in connection to accusations he stole $31,000 from a client’s bank account and gambled the money at a local casino.

His license to practice law will be indefinitely suspended effective Jan. 15.

Roth is scheduled to appear that day before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio for arraignment.

Bilik-DeFazio last month barred Roth from acting as a lawyer and from having contact with any past or current clients when she decreased his bail from $250,000 to $75,000. According to court records, Roth has not posted bail and continues to be held at the Westmoreland County jail.

Prosecutors said they feared Roth would continue to act as a lawyer if released from jail. Investigators testified that since Roth’s arrest, the district attorney’s office has received as many as 10 new complaints alleging misconduct by Roth.

No new charges have been filed and Roth has maintained his innocence.

In the pending case, Roth is facing nine criminal counts including theft of proceeds of unlawful activities, theft, financial exploitation, deceptive business practices and related offenses. Prosecutors contend Roth, with the help of a co-defendant, stole funds from a jail inmate’s bank account after he was hired as her lawyer despite her already having an assigned attorney.

Tina Curry, 50, of Mt. Pleasant was charged as a co-defendant with six felony offenses, including theft counts and conspiracy. She also remains in jail in lieu of a $75,000 bond.