"As with Ms. Robinson, Mr. Jones flagrantly violated his duty of the utmost degree of trust and loyalty to an extremely vulnerable and easily exploited individual," Spanakos said in his June 28 letter, calling Jones' conduct "despicable."
Robinson received a settlement of a medical malpractice case in 1984, entitling her to almost $84,000 a year, plus incremental annual increases. By 2007, she had $1 million in her account, according to the district attorney.
After one attorney had served as her guardian for almost 20 years, Jones was appointed successor guardian in February 2003.
In June 2010, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Ellen Spodek (See Profile) suspended Jones' guardianship after questions were raised about two mortgage investments Jones executed with Robinson's money in 2006 and 2007. Jones repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at a hearing on the propriety of the mortgages.
In a June 2011 ruling, Robinson v. Fireman, 092184/1984, Spodek vacated one of the two mortgages, for $650,000. She also levied a $650,000 surcharge, plus 9 percent interest, against Jones while calling his "complete lack of candor extremely disturbing."
As she scrutinized the mortgage, Spodek pointed to one transaction prosecutors would later seize on.
According to subpoenaed bank records and checks, two days after Robinson executed a mortgage with the property buyer, Keri Watkins, Watkins purchased a $200,000 bank check that was used to pay off a home equity line of credit established by Jones' wife Miko Simmons for a residence once owned by Jones but later transferred to Simmons.
"Even to a casual observer this would appear to be an indirect kick-back to Mr. Jones through his spouse," Spodek wrote.
Jones was indicted in August 2011 under the name Raymond Jones on one count of second-degree grand larceny due to the $200,000 transaction.
According to the district attorney, Jones' attorneys argued that loss of his law license would be sufficient punishment.
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Please don't forget that Mr. Jones was also a co-guardian of Judge Phillips. That he was never prosecuted in that case defies logic.
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