PHILADELPHIA — A long-trusted attorney for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was arrested for allegedly stealing $1.7 million over 12 years.

Lawyer and general counsel Roosevelt Hairston Jr., of Malvern, was charged last week for embezzling $1.7 million from the hospital. Hairston held the general counsel position for less than a year until being fired on February 18, 2011.

The charges — mail fraud, money laundering, and filing a fake tax return — stem from the “financial irregularities” found during an internal investigation.

Hairston allegedly forged invoices and created fake companies to launder money.

Hairston served on the board of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia and was appointed by former Mayor John Street to the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board.

Hairston resigned from both of these positions within days of being fired.