Former Tacoma lawyer sentenced for embezzling from elderly client for 10 years

SEATTLE - A former Tacoma lawyer was sentenced to federal prison for embezzling more than $530,000 from his client. Investigators said years of wire fraud ultimately cost the elderly victim her "dream" home and violated her trust.

"At the end of this, she basically had nothing left," said Mike Herrrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office.

The U.S. District Court in Seattle sentenced Colby Parks to 18 months in prison for wire fraud. The 65-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge in May 2025, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington.

Lawyer embezzled thousands from elderly client

The backstory:

Herrington said Parks’ client was compensated $1.66 million after she was critically hurt as a passenger in a motorcycle accident. 

"This is a woman who had really kind of lost everything as a result of a tragic accident. And she got this settlement that was kind of a lifeline to a new start," said Herrington.

In 2010, Parks became the trustee of the woman’s living trust. The former attorney was supposed to manage her money while she recovered from her life-altering injuries due to the crash. 

Federal attorneys said in the seven years that Parks was a trustee, financial records showed him making several transfers from the trust fund to his personal bank, leaving his client with only $20,000 left in the account. In 2018, officials said Parks made his client take out a reverse mortgage on her home to fund the trust, when actually he only used those dollars to continue transferring large sums of money for his own use.

"Instead of taking care of her, as he had an obligation to do, he violated that trust and actually stole everything from her," said Herrington.

Dig deeper:

By the end of 2019, there was only $15 left in the woman’s account, and she was forced to sell her dream home. Even then, officials said Parks diverted money from that sale, claiming the victim owed him money that he allegedly loaned her.

"Repeatedly refused to give her financial statements, showing her where the money was going, repeatedly refused to give her invoices. That’s a big red flag," said Herrington.

Washington State Adult Protective Services was first to learn of this case of financial abuse. The agency contacted the FBI Seattle Field Office to further investigate. 

"In terms of personal human impact, this is really a significant case to us," said Herrington.

During the investigation, FBI special agents learned that Parks repeatedly blamed his client for her excessive spending that caused her funds to dwindle, when in fact she only received a small fraction of her settlement. It was actually Parks’ secret siphoning that caused the woman’s financial ruin.

Federal attorneys said, in total, over 10 years, Parks transferred more than $880,000 from the victim’s accounts that he managed. Officials said he paid himself at least $530,000 more than he was entitled to receive as his fees for trustee services.

Herrington said it was the FBI’s mission to end Parks’ financial abuse and bring him to justice. Though he paid back $530,00 in restitution, it won’t pay for the years of harm Parks caused his client.

What they're saying:

"It’s not the full amount that he had transferred out of her account, which amounted to about $880,000 over the 10 years that he worked with her, but it’s still very significant and allows her the opportunity for a new start," said Herrington.

Parks resigned his law license. The Washington State Bar also investigated and said had Parks not resigned, he would have been disbarred. 

The FBI credits the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington and the Mount Vernon Police Department for their contributions in the investigation.

What you can do:

Herrington encouraged anyone who thinks they may be a potential victim to contact law enforcement immediately, and to submit an online report to ic3.gov, which is the FBI’s crime complaint center.

"If you suspect something is off, report it immediately. Time is often of the essence in these sorts of cases. Our ability as law enforcement or anybody that can help you becomes more difficult as time passes," said Herrington. "Or, at the very least, talk to somebody who is trustworthy, whether it’s a family member, somebody in your community."

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