A prominent Ocean County attorney who taught seminars on elder law was indicted Monday on charges that he stole nearly $2 million from some of his elderly clients.

Robert Novy, 66, of Brick, is facing 10 charges, including two counts each of first-degree and second-degree money laundering, according to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

Robert Novy, 66, of Brick (Courtesy N.J. Attorney General's Office)

The indictment alleges that Novy, who also hosted a bi-monthly radio program called "Inside the Law" focusing on topics of concern to senior citizens, stole $1.9 million from six elderly clients, some of whom had Alzheimer's disease or dementia, from 2009-2016.

The attorney general's office stated in a news release that the investigation is ongoing and that the office is looking into numerous other "suspicious financial transactions" involving funds of some of his other clients.

"Novy allegedly stole nearly $2 million from vulnerable clients, preying on seniors who were frail and isolated and who trusted him as their attorney to guard their life savings," Grewal said in the release.

The New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics issued an ethics complaint against Novy in January 2016. He was arrested in October 2016.

Detectives executed a search warrant at his firm, Novy & Associates in Manchester, and seized billing records and other evidence, according to the release. The attorney general's office obtained court orders freezing over $3.5 million in assets held by Novy and his firm.

Grewal said the investigation showed Novy allegedly stole funds from elderly and deceased clients who did not have a close relative to their estate or were not able to challenge his actions.

He used the funds - which he allegedly gained control of through wills, powers of attorney and trust documents signed by his clients - to pay personal and business expenses, according to the news release.

Grewal said Novy allegedly directed insurance companies to cash out annuity and life insurance policies and send the proceeds directly to him. When relatives or trustees challenged the withdrawal of the funds, Novy claimed they were "administrative errors" and repaid the funds, it is stated in the release.

Authorities said Novy stole over $738,000 from an 88-year-old Brick woman who died in 2015, and more than $242,000 from an 85-year-old woman from Brick who died in 2013 and had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Investigators also said he stole nearly $651,000 from an 87-year-old Manchester woman who suffered from dementia and died in 2014, and $130,000 from an 98-year-old township woman.

Novy stole another $103,843 from an 87-year-old Point Pleasant woman who died in 2015, and over $42,000 from an 85-year-old Waretown woman who died in 2013, as well as her 92-year-old husband, who died two years earlier, according to the news release.

Grewal said Novy used three different schemes to steal funds from his clients:

The first involved transferring over $322,000 from six clients' personal bank accounts, or placing their liquidated personal assets, into his own bank account.

In the second scheme, he allegedly transferred over $926,000 from three victims' personal accounts, or liquidated assets, into an Interest on Lawyer Trust Account he controlled rather than a trust fund he did not control, according to the release.

In the third scheme, Novy allegedly transferred three clients' funds into the law firm's operating and disbursement accounts, according to attorney general's office. He reportedly excessively billed the clients for power of attorney fees without any supporting invoices. This scheme totaled $659,457 in stolen funds.

New Jersey Attorney General's Office Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie Honig said Novy "systematically drained his clients assets, laundering funds through various bank accounts and charging unauthorized fees to enrich himself and his firm."

He encouraged anyone with information about Novy and how he handled his clients' funds to contact his office.

Novy's defense attorney Gerald Krovatin of Krovatin Klingeman, LLC, Newark said his client has "always gone the extra mile for his clients."

"Anyone who knows him knows that he would never take advantage of his clients or harm them in any way," Krovatin said. "He denies and will vigorously defend the charges in this indictment."

In addition to the money laundering counts, Novy has also been charged with two counts of second-degree theft by unlawful taking, three counts of second-degree misapplication of entrusted property and one count of second-degree theft by deception, according to the news release.

First degree money laundering carries a sentence of between 10 and 20 years in prison along with a fine of up to $200,000 and an anti-money laundering profiteering penalty of up to $500,000, according to the news release. The second degree charges carry a sentence of between five and 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000 and an additional anti-money laundering profiteering penalty of up to $250,000.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.