A suspended attorney allegedly defrauded clients of over R2.1 million by continuing to practise law illegally after being barred by the High Court.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), known as the Hawks, are urgently appealing to members of the public who may have been defrauded by suspended Kariega attorney Trashwon Virgil Webb to come forward.
According to the Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana: “Webb (45), the sole director of Webb at Law Incorporated Attorneys, was arrested on 18 August 2025 in connection with multiple charges including theft, fraud, contempt of court, and contraventions of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act and the Attorneys Act. Victims have reportedly been defrauded of over R2.1 million.”
The former attorney allegedly operated under the name Webb at Law Incorporated Attorneys with offices previously located at 239 Caledon Street, Kariega (formerly Uitenhage). While Webb was initially an admitted and enrolled attorney legally permitted to practise on his own account and operated a valid attorney’s trust account with Standard Bank, his legal troubles began on 12 December 2017.
On that date, the High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division in Makhanda, ordered his suspension from practising as an attorney. From then onwards, Webb was interdicted from engaging in legal practice and from holding or operating an attorney’s trust account. He has not received written consent from the Cape Law Society (now the Legal Practice Council) to continue practising as an admitted attorney since.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said investigations revealed that Webb allegedly continued operating illegally despite the court order. Between August 2015 and September 2018, it is alleged that Webb was entrusted with the transfers and registration of 19 residential properties but failed to disburse funds due to rightful beneficiaries. Instead, he allegedly misappropriated these funds, diverting them into his account for personal benefit.
Further reports revealed that he directed clients’ cash into his wife’s personal account, in clear contravention of legal prescripts.
Webb made his first court appearance in the Gqeberha Magistrates’ Court on the same day as his arrest, where he is provisionally facing 28 charges. These include 19 counts of theft, one count of fraud, one count of contempt of court, and one count relating to the contravention of Section 4 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. Although the state initially set bail at R1,000, it was ultimately set at R500 due to Webb’s inability to afford the original amount.
Anyone who believes they may have been affected or defrauded by Trashwon Virgil Webb is urged to contact DPCI/Hawks Team Leader: Commercial Crimes Investigations, Lieutenant Colonel Natalie Connelly, at 072 580 2723.
The Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit based in Gqeberha conducted the meticulous investigation that led to Webb’s arrest, marking what they describe as a significant breakthrough in the case.
