Disbarred lawyer who stole $9 million sentenced to 40 years

Anthony Chiofalo, a Houston lawyer who has been on the run since June when he was accused of stealing more than $9 million from his employer, leaves the 339th state District Court with his attorney, Paul Doyle, Monday, January 7, 2013, in Houston, after he turned himself in weeks ago at a Rhode Island police station. Chiofalo, 51, was a New York attorney with a suspended law license who moved to Houston in 2009. He took a job with Tadano America, a wholly owned subsidiary of a Japanese company that manufactures large cranes, court records show. He is accused of stealing from them using dummy law firms. less Anthony Chiofalo, a Houston lawyer who has been on the run since June when he was accused of stealing more than $9 million from his employer, leaves the 339th state District Court with his attorney, Paul ... more Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Disbarred lawyer who stole $9 million sentenced to 40 years 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

The embezzler at the center of an investigation that brought down two Harris County DA investigators and saw one indicted for stealing thousands of dollars worth of rare comic books was sentenced Monday to 40 years in prison after admitting his crime.

Anthony Chiofalo, a disbarred attorney who was charged with stealing $9 million from his employer from 2010 to 2012, pleaded guilty to theft of more than $200,000, a first-degree felony. He was sentenced by visiting judge James Anderson.

"If he had gone to trial, a jury would have given him life," said special prosecutor Kent Schaffer. He said jurors would have heard about other allegations, including forging his law school records to get a job. "Throughout his life, he's engaged in criminal conduct that he's never been held accountable for and today he was," Schaffer said.

He said Chiofalo would probably serve 10 to 20 percent of the 40 years.

Prosecutors believe Chiofalo, 52, bought valuable comic books, collectibles and sports memorabilia with money he embezzled from Tadano America Corp., which makes large cranes.

Hundreds of items, including a first-edition Batman comic book worth about $900,000 and a baseball helmet signed by Pete Rose, were seized when Chiofalo was arrested.

Schaffer was appointed as special prosecutor after the district attorney's office recused itself because of a possible conflict of interest.

DA investigator Lonnie Blevins was arrested in February 2013, accused of taking some of the comic books that were evidence and selling them to collectors in Chicago and San Antonio.

He was charged with the transfer of stolen goods. His case is pending in federal court. He is accused of committing the crime while at the district attorney's office, but left about two months before being arrested.

His partner at the office, Dustin Deutsch, was suspended from the district attorney's office after Blevins was arrested. Deutsch then resigned. He has not been charged with any crime.