Va. State Bar investigating Hirschler Law firm for $1.4m Fraud

A Complaint was filed against Hirschler Law Firm Partner Franklin R. Cragle III for colluding with his client, Kitsa S. Panos, to defraud Lingerfelt Commonwealth Partners and her partners in a 1.4 million sales contract. Franklin Cragle advised his client, Kitsa Panos, to use a 40-year-old power of Attorney that had been revoked on October 25, 2000, to forge the signatures of her elderly relatives and partners.

Kitsa S. Panos and Franklin R. Cragle III

The Complaint was filed by Nickolas Spanos whose Trust owns a 10% share of a 52 acre land partnership, planned for medical-Office-Light industrial. He had been assisting his elderly relatives from previous acts of fraud by Kitsa Panos. Spanos learned of the $1.4 million fraud upon Franklin Cragle filing a Complaint for Partition  with the Henrico County Circuit Court (Case# CL22-4708) on August 28, 2022.

Franklin Cragle committed further acts of extrinsic fraud by intentionally failing to serve Diamiantis and Georgia Drizos, residents of Greece, in accordance with the Hague Service Convention. Franklin Cragle would have been able to obtain a default judgement without the Drizos having knowledge of the pending Partition Complaint. 

Diamiantis Drizos passed away one week after the Partition complaint was filed. Spanos notified the Court that Diamiantis Drizos has passed away and that Franklin Cragle was obligated to amend the Partition complaint to include service on his surviving widow and heirs. 

Spanos recognized that the Drizos' had revoked the power of attorney 26 years ago, which was signed by an affidavit at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, and questioned Franklin Cragle and Kitsa Panos on how they entered into a $1.4 million contract with Lingerfelt Commonwealth Partners. Cragle and Panos refused to answer him, so he filed a Petition to Intervene and Injunction, exposing the forging of Drizos' signatures on the sales contract.

Spanos informed the Henrico Circuit Court, Lingerfelt Commonwealth Partners, and Hirschler management of the Fraud by forgery. Lingerfelt revoked the sales contract and the earnest money deposit was returned.  Hirschler management took no disciplinary action against Franklin Cragle.

 

Israeli-linked Hirschler colluded with 3 Va. Judges in Land Fraud

Evidence was presented to three Virginia Circuit Court judges that the Israeli-linked Hirschler law firm had colluded with their client, Kitsa Panos, to forge her elderly partner's signature in a $1.4 million land fraud on Lingerfelt Commonwealth Partners.

In three separate cases, the forged $1.4 million contract and the revoked power of attorney for Kitsa Panos were presented as evidence to Virginia Judges: Judge Joseph J. Ellis, Judge Harold W. (Chip) Burgess, and Judge  M. Duncan Minton that Hirschler Law partner Franklin B. Cragle III had advised his client Kitsa S. Panos to forge her partners signature as to defraud her of her 20% share and sell 52 acres of valuable industrial property to Commonwealth Partners for $1.4 million that had a defective title.

Kitsa S. Panos and Franklin B. Cragle III

Judge Joseph J. Ellis, Judge Harold W. (Chip) Burgess, and Judge M. Duncan Minton ignored evidence of fraud by the Israeli-linked Hirschler law firm; in doing so, they violated the Virginia Judicial Canons requiring them to report criminal actions by attorneys. Evidence showed that Judge Joseph J. Ellis, Judge Harold W. (Chip) Burgess, and Judge  M. Duncan Minton had ex parte communications with Hirschler partners to collude in the $1.4 million land fraud.

In a recent case in Chesterfield County Circuit Court, case # CL25-0333, ignored the $1.4 million fraud and sealed the court filings that contained the evidence. At a scheduled June 23, 2026, hearing at which the Co-defendant and witness to the $1.4 million fraud was to testify, Judge M. Duncan Minton set aside his order allowing the defendant-witness to testify by audio-video and ordered him to personally appear despite being located in Greece, 5000 miles away.

Israeli linked Hirschler has a history of having ex parte communications, bribing judges, and the Virginia State Bar to obtain favorable rulings and judgments for their clients.

Articles of Impeachment are being drafted against Judge Joseph J. Ellis, Judge Harold W. (Chip) Burgess, and Judge  M. Duncan Minton for their collusion and violation of the Virginia Judicial Canons.