Court Watching: Circuit Court Judge Van Houten again resets White’s final conference

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
The final, pretrial conference for disbarred Belleville attorney Thomas A. White, before his Nov. 3 jury trial, was moved from Aug. 8 to Aug. 15 before Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Margaret Van Houton – and now is being moved again to Sept. 12.
White, 46, has 20 felony charges pending against him concerning stealing from the clients of his law firm. Although the charges started as two cases, Judge Van Houton consolidated the cases in May.
His defense attorney Michael Vincent was not present at the Aug. 15 court session set by Judge Van Houton, but Vincent’s assistant filled in for him at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor on the case is Daniel Williams. He and Olga Wermalenka asked for a sidebar with the judge and spent eight minutes talking quietly with her about the judge’s upcoming surgery and when she was scheduled to return to the bench Dec. 2.
Defendant White waited in the courtroom while the private discussion with the judge continued and then he and Wermalenka left the courtroom together. There was no public discussion of the case.
Williams did tell the Independent the next court session was Sept. 12 and that the trial was still set for Nov. 3.
Judge Van Houten has said a two-to-three-week trial will be needed. Prosecutor Williams previously told the judge that 50-60 witnesses will be called if the cases go to trial.
Official charges in what was the first case, filed Sept. 6, 2013, are uttering and publishing, larceny by conversion – $20,000 or more, embezzlement, and two counts of identity theft.
In White’s second case, which was filed Dec. 18, 2013 charges are one count of conducting a criminal enterprise and 14 additional counts of embezzlement.
White is accused of stealing an estimated $11 million from widows, families, and estate beneficiaries.
He practiced law in an office across Main Street from Belleville City Hall for 20 years.