John Dillinger kin in trouble with the law

Legendary Hoosier criminal John Dillinger earned the title "Public Enemy No.1" by stealing a fortune from banks across the Midwest.

Now a relative — an attorney who for years has fought to protect and even clear Dillinger's name — has resigned from the practice of law for following in Dillinger's footsteps.

The Indiana Supreme Court last week accepted the resignation of Mooresville's Jeffery Scalf, who acknowledged "a pending investigation ... involving allegations of misconduct" that he could not defend. Scalf is facing two criminal theft charges in Morgan County.

Scalf is the great-nephew of Dillinger and founder of Dillinger LLC, which was established to prevent the unlicensed and negative use of Dillinger's likeness and name.

Retro Indy: John Dillinger

Now, Scalf finds himself — like his great-uncle — on the wrong side of the law.

One of the charges against him dates back to 2012, when he is accused of stealing an item from a flea market. The other, filed last year, involved a theft from Wal-Mart.

Neither case involved items of great value, Morgan County Prosecutor Steve Sonnega said. And neither, he added, involved items related to Scalf's famous ancestor.

"He's a colorful figure," the prosecutor said. "It is a sad story."

Scalf currently is in a diversion program that works with defendants who struggled with mental health and other issues. If he successfully completes the court's closely monitored program, Sonnega said, the criminal charges against Scalf could be dropped.

Martinsville attorney Gen Koch, who has represented Scalf, said he could not comment about the case or his client's actions.

In a phone call to IndyStar, Scalf said he takes responsibility for his actions.

"However," he said, "there were a great deal of mitigating circumstance that entail serious health issues."

Scalf said when it became apparent to him that he could no longer practice law, he voluntarily submitted his resignation.

"I feel ashamed, embarrassed, and I am sincerely remorseful," he said. "I am doing my best to get better. All I can do is ask for people's forgiveness."

Scalf's grandmother, Doris, was Dillinger's half sister, and she has served as the keeper of the John Dillinger estate.

For the past two decades, according to a 2009 IndyStar profile, Scalf has been on a mission to repair his great-uncle's reputation, and to contest claims that Dillinger was at the East Chicago heist that resulted in the death of a police officer.

Scalf was well-known for firing off cease-and-desist letters to news outlets that he says have defamed his famous great-uncle and for suing business owners wanting to use Dillinger's name or likeness.

Scalf's efforts succeeded somewhat in helping frame a new story about Dillinger — more of a cautionary tale aimed at troubled youth.

Dillinger, who was born in Indianapolis and grew up in Mooresville, died outside a Chicago theater on July 22, 1934. When his body was checked, police found $7.71 in his pockets.

Seventy-five years after his death, Dillinger's family took steps to atone for his crimes.. The John Dillinger Troubled Youth Fund was established in July 2009, with an initial donation of $7,007.71 from Scalf.

The fund, he said at the time, would provide troubled youths with Christian literature and motivational speakers. He explained it was established to "protect other families from going through what we went through."

"It's a fund for young people that have made a choice to go down a path of crime," Scalf said in a 2009 interview. "John contributed the $7.71 to show that crime doesn't pay."

It is unclear what, if any, programs and services the fund supported in recent years.

Rewind: Local Dillinger landmarks show where he played � and robbed

IndyStar audience analyst Neal Taflinger contributed to this story.

Call IndyStar reporter Tim Evans at (317) 444-6204 and follow him on Twitter: @starwatchtim