"I'm so sorry to all of you. I'm sorry. None of it was intentional," Thomas said to the victims in the courtroom. "I've tarnished this job. I've tarnished this legal system we all take an oath to participate in and do justice with."
Thomas practiced at The Thomas Law Office, 112 N. Barron St., and was convicted on three felony counts of theft from an elderly person or disabled adult. He also was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of falsification after an investigation by the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation found Thomas had stolen from the four victims' bank accounts.
"The victims in this case trusted this attorney to safeguard their finances, but this defendant thought only of himself, stealing their money little by little until it added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars," Attorney General Mike DeWine said in a statement. "People with disabilities and our elderly residents should be treated with respect, especially those whose job it is to help them. I am pleased that this individual will have time to reflect on his actions in prison."
The victims ranged in ages from 41 to 72 and all four are Preble County residents, the attorney general's office said.
"I look at J.T. as not only my attorney, J.T., he was my friend," said Jeryl Sims, one of the victims who broke down in tears when she addressed the courtroom.
"I don't know why he turned against me. Was it just for the money? Was it because of the money James?" she asked Thomas.
Thomas admitted to investigators that he stole a portion of the funds to support an addiction to ephedrine.
Thomas told Visiting Judge Neal Bronson his addiction had consumed the last five years of his life and he had reached out for professional help.
The Preble County Sheriff's Office escorted Thomas from the courtroom in handcuffs. He was booked into the Preble County Jail, where he will spend one day before being taken to prison.
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