Lawyer charged with pocketing settlement money

A Utah lawyer is in jail, charged with failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars from a settlement to the husbands of two airplane crash victims.

Matthew Terry Graff, 38, who practices law in Cedar City, was arrested Tuesday at Salt Lake City's airport by U.S. marshals.

Iron County prosecutors charged Graff with two felony counts of unlawful dealing of property. He is being held on $50,000 bail.

Court documents say Graff deposited settlement funds in his private bank account, then spent or moved the money elsewhere. Investigators believe Graff has some money in offshore accounts.

The total amount he allegedly owes Matthew Tillery and Easton Vigil, whose wives died in the Aug. 22, 2008, crash near Moab, wasn't immediately available.

Marcie Tillery and Camie Vigil were among nine employees of Cedar City's Southwest Skin and Cancer Institute who were killed in the private plane crash. The pilot also died. The National Transportation Safety Board has not released a final report on the crash.

Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett didn't immediately return a call from The Associated Press on Wednesday.

It was unclear whether Graff had an attorney. Court records did not list one and there was no way to leave a message at his law office.

Jail officials also said they don't take messages for inmates.