Edward Vincent Jr. will make good on missing $600K, lawyer says

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Updated Thursday, April 7, 9:05 am

A lawyer who represents Edgartown attorney Edward W. Vincent Jr., said Wednesday that Mr. Vincent would resolve by next week two civil lawsuits alleging he misappropriated more than $600,000.

Roger D. Matthews of the Boston law firm Denner Pellegrino said in a phone conversation with The Times late Wednesday that he expects Mr. Vincent to make payments to the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) and First American Title Insurance Company, by Tuesday. Those organizations filed lawsuits alleging Mr. Vincent misappropriated money due them from separate Edgartown real estate transactions.

“The bottom line is to take care of the MSPCA and First American title,” Mr. Matthews said in a telephone conversation. “The lawsuits should be dismissed.”

Mr. Vincent is accused of defrauding two clients of more than $600,000 entrusted to him at real estate closings in which he represented buyers or sellers. Plaintiffs in those lawsuits have attached Mr. Vincent’s property in the amount of $700,000.

Edgartown police are actively pursuing a criminal investigation, and they are consulting with the state attorney general. The state Board of Bar Overseers, which investigates and disciplines lawyers, is investigating two complaints against Mr. Vincent.

Asked how Mr. Vincent finds himself in this situation, Mr. Mathews said, “I really can’t comment.”

A court hearing on the lawsuit by First American Title, scheduled for last Friday, was postponed by agreement of all the parties, according to Mr. Mathews

Asked if Mr. Vincent has returned to Martha’s Vineyard, Mr. Matthews said, “Mr. Vincent is back in the country. He comes and goes like everybody else.”

Mr. Vincent’s Edgartown law office declined any comment Wednesday. Mr. Vincent was to represent a client before the Edgartown planning board on Tuesday, but he did not attend that meeting.

This article was edited to reflect a correction. The law firm Denner Pellegrino is in Boston, not Burlington.