Overview
- Henry Rappa Jr., 57, who was charged Thursday, was arraigned in Cambridge District Court on counts that include embezzlement by a fiduciary, larceny over $1,200, and unauthorized practice of law.
- Prosecutors allege he spent about $660,000 that a client placed in a trust account and did not return the money when the client asked for it.
- After a July 2025 suspension that required him to close trust accounts and return money, authorities say he still handled a Dec. 29 real-estate closing and kept $21,300 that should have gone to the buyer.
- He was held on $2,500 bail with orders to surrender his passport, avoid witnesses, stay within New England, and follow high court directives, with a May 27 court date set in Malden District Court.
- District Attorney Marian Ryan called the case an abuse of trust and said her office is working more than a half-dozen similar investigations, urging clients to check a lawyer’s discipline record and seek help from the Massachusetts Clients’ Security Board if funds are lost.