Friday, June 24, 2016

South Florida Attorney Sentenced to 10 Years for Embezzlement

An attorney from South Florida was sentenced to 10 years in prison for embezzling more than $500,000 from foreclosure transactions. Fort Lauderdale, FL criminal defense lawyers are not too please about this and if you are in some legal hot soup you need Leader & Leader, P.A. (www.criminallawleader.com/) on your side since they know how to win cases and they do this all the time. This makes all lawyers look bad.


According to Sun Sentinel, legal counselor Nicholas Theodore Steffens was arrested in 2015 on charges of grand theft.

Two of the illegal transactions took place in Miami-Dade County and another two happened in Broward County.

According to an arrest affidavit, in four mortgage foreclosure cases, Steffens misappropriated funds totaling $654,696.83 which he used to pay his personal expenses and pay his debt to a loan servicing company or mortgage lender.

Based on an ongoing investigation by the Florida Bar, the Supreme Court of Florida suspended 36-year old Steffens of Parkland from practicing law. The Bar said that it opened its investigation into the attorney on January 29th and filed a petition for an emergency suspension on September 16th. According to sources, this petition was approved by the Supreme Court merely two days later.

Steffens’ legal counselor Kevin Tynan said that with ongoing disciplinary and legal proceedings that could eventually lead to disbarment, the legal pro himself filed a document with the Supreme Court on September 28th to surrender his law license at his own will. The court’s response is still pending. Fort Lauderdale, FL criminal defense lawyers have no idea why someone would put themselves in this position. If you are in a tough legal spot you need the services of Leader & Leader, P.A. since they know how to get the job done and their track record is astounding.  

Even lawyers sometimes need a lawyer. If you need some legal help, no matter who you are, you need to call up a Fort Lauderdale, FL criminal defense attorney and there is none better than Leader & Leader, P.A. 
Meanwhile, according to the court’s order, Steffens cannot accept new clients and was required to stop representing his existing clients 30 days after being suspended.  He was also required to notify clients, the courts and opposing lawyers of his status with the Bar. Additionally, he was ordered to stop withdrawing or disbursing any monies from the trust accounts of clients related to his law practice without the approval of the Supreme Court.

Elizabeth Scherer, Broward County Circuit Judge, ordered a $200,000 bond for Steffens, who turned himself in on Tuesday. To be able to get out of jail before trial, Steffens is required to show that the bond money comes from legal sources.


In Florida, the punishment for embezzlement depends on the type or value of the property that is stolen and Fort Lauderdale, FL criminal defense attorneys know all about this and the most incredible law firm in this part of Florida is Leader & Leader, P.A. They know the legal system in these parts!


Those who embezzle money or property of the following amounts or types with will be charged with felony of the first degree:
  • The property value is $100,000 or more.
  • Is cargo from the loading platform of a shipper with a value of $50,000 or more.
  • Is stolen during and because of a state of emergency that is declared by the governor.
Penalties for first degree felony include up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. A legal professional such as Leader & Leader, P.A. can represent you so you are not slammed with the full onslaught of the law.

Do not be a criminal.
If you have been charged with embezzlement, you should immediately seek the help of a Fort Lauderdale, FL criminal defense lawyer and you cannot do any better than Leader & Leader, P.A. since they know how to build a tremendous case for their clients.

Your legal representative will work diligently for you so you can obtain a favorable outcome for your case or something less than what your punishment certainly could have been. And this legal representative should be Leader & Leader, P.A. for many of the reasons cited above and then some. 

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