Disbarred Insurance Lawyer Jailed after Being Forced to Return from Taiwan

Edward Joseph Callow, a now-disbarred insurance attorney, who was charged with settlement-theft and fled to Taiwan, has been jailed after Taiwan's local authorities compelled him to leave. Callow had been tracked by federal agencies and the Washington state insurance commissioner who got into touch with authorities in Taiwan. He was arrested after he arrived at SeaTac International Airport last week, and is now being held in the King County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond.

Callow had been charged last year along with an insurance claims adjuster, Fariborz "Romeo" Rahrovi, who worked at the time for Nationwide. Both men face charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree theft, money laundering, obtaining a signature by duress, and perjury.


The two men are accused of misinforming a client who was left permanently disabled by an auto accident and stealing his money. Callow, altered the documents of the settlement to represent to his client that the settlement was of a total sum of $250, 000 when in actuality the settlement was for $500,000.

Court documents mention that Callow's client was paid only $165,000 from the settlement of $500,000, while Callow and his accomplice pocketed the balance of $335,000. According to the authorities, Callow took $200, 000 and Rahrovi took $135,000.

There are some facts of the case yet unknown to the media. For instance, while Rahrovi pleaded not guilty, Callow, according to the ABA Journal is yet to be arraigned in the King County Superior Court, and Claims Journal noted that the client was unaware of the theft until contacted by the state insurance commissioner.

The matter was pursued by state insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler and his Special Investigations Unit. Claims journal quoted Kreidler saying about Callow, "This lawyer preyed on a vulnerable consumer who relied on an insurance settlement for medical treatments and to replace income … Now it's time for Mr. Callow to face the criminal justice system."

The case is a surprising illustration of greed, for the client was ready to pay 33 percent of the settlement as attorney's fees, which, $165,000, was not a small sum in an otherwise easy case of permanent disability due to car accident.