US Afghan rampage soldier had court order

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the Norwood native accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, was ordered in 2003 to repay more than $1.5 million to a Carroll couple after it was alleged he stole the couples money as a financial adviser.While that nine-year-old case was coming to light, Bales was meeting with his lawyer for the first time at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. The Army is expected to file formal charges against Bales this week.Documents from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority showed that in 2000, a year before Bales joined the U.S. Army, he was accused of mishandling money from Gary and Janet Liebschner, of Carroll.The Liebschners had sold some of their stock through the firm Bales was working for at the time. They filed a complaint in May 2000 against Bales and seven other individuals and corporations with the National Association of Securities Dealers, the predecessor of FINRA, claiming unauthorized trades, failure to provide claimant with competent and professional services, breach of contractual and legal duties, violation of rules of NASD and the New York Stock Exchange, failure to supervise, and misrepresentation of material facts, among other charges.The case went to arbitration before the NASD; Bales was ordered to repay the couple more than $1.5 million.The Liebschners did not answer calls from the Eagle-Gazette seeking comment.