Former Lawyer Charged With Theft

SEATTLE - A former attorney has been charged with nine counts of first- and second-degree theft for allegedly embezzling more than $75,000 from the trust funds of at least four clients.

Prosecutors say Steven Nuss, 42, of Renton, used his clients' money to for pay personal debts and business expenses. They alleged the embezzlement occurred between January 1993 and February 1994.

In one case, Nuss told his clients that his stepson had stolen money from the $86,848 trust account to pay a drug dealer, court records say. He eventually paid the clients $20,000, but the balance has not yet been paid, prosecutors say.

Nuss, a general-practice attorney, was disbarred by the Washington State Bar Association in July 1994, according to court records. He will be arraigned in King County Superior Court on Aug.

28.