from staff
The Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders disciplined 33 attorneys, disbarring 10, suspending 16 and placing four on probation. Some attorneys received more than one form of discipline. Seven attorneys were reprimanded. One was ordered to pay restitution. None of the attorneys disciplined are members of the Jacksonville Bar Association.
The following lawyers are disciplined:
• Peter Marcellus Capua of Miami, disbarred, effective retroactive to Jan. 3, 2008, following a Nov. 20 court order. Capua paid personal and business obligations from a trust account that should have been reserved solely for client funds.
• Donald Loeb Farber of Miami, disbarred effective 30 days from an Oct. 23 court order. Farber failed to maintain trust account records and preserve and apply client funds as required and he issued an insufficient funds check from his trust account.
• Craig Francis Hall of Gainesville, disbarred effective immediately, following a Nov. 20 court order. In May 2008, Hall was suspended after informing the Supreme Court of Florida that he had been found guilty of a federal felony of possession of child pornography.
• Khrystal Kay Hilton of Tampa, disbarred effective 30 days from an Oct. 16 court order. Hilton was retained to represent clients in bankruptcy cases while ineligible to practice law, as a result of not having taken required continuing legal education courses. She filed petitions on behalf of some clients but neglected to attend subsequent hearings and provide legal advice. Hilton later abandoned her practice and moved out of state without notifying The Florida Bar, her clients or the courts.
• David Franklin King of Fort Lauderdale, disbarred effective immediately, following a Nov. 6 court order. King was hired to represent a client in a dissolution of marriage case and collected a fee. One month later, he became ineligible to practice law in Florida because he failed to complete his Continuing Legal Education requirements. King never informed the client that he was unable to practice law and therefore unable to represent her.
• Lizabeth Leigh Pereira of Fort Lauderdale, disbarred for five years, effective immediately, following an Oct. 30 court order. In January 2008, Pereira was charged with possession and intent to distribute a mixture containing cocaine, a felony. After violating the terms of her supervised release, in March 2008, Pereira was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.
• Jeffrey Herbert Rosenthal of Boca Raton, disbarred for five years, effective immediately, following an Oct. 30 court order. Rosenthal misappropriated client funds and failed to respond to the Bar’s investigative inquiries.
• Scott Alan Salomon of Coral Springs, disbarred for five years, effective immediately, following a Dec. 4 court order. Salomon shall pay restitution in the amount of $4,000 to a client. Salomon failed to provide competent representation to a client. He agreed to modify a divorce agreement that was not modifiable as a matter of law, he failed to appear at court hearings and neglected to communicate with the client. He also filed a motion that was late and contained intentional misrepresentations of fact.
• Sally Natasha Sawh of Miami Beach, disbarred effective immediately, following a Nov. 20 court order. Sawh’s trust account was overdrawn 43 times between July 2006 and December 2007. Records reveal 14 instances of her trust account checks being dishonored by the bank due to insufficient funds.
• Joseph J. Weisenfeld of Miami, permanently disbarred effective immediately, following a Nov. 7 court order. In September 2008, Weisenfeld pleaded guilty in U.S. district court to one count of wire fraud, a felony.
• Charles Daniel Akes of Lakeland, suspended for 30 days, effective 30 days from a Nov. 6 court order. Akes is further placed on probation for three years, effective immediately. Akes failed to comply with the court’s orders in two separate cases.
• George Dean Cholakis of Miami Beach, suspended for one year, retroactive to Sept. 4, 2008, following a Nov. 20 order. In July, Cholakis pleaded guilty to two felony counts of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury.
• John Patrick Clement of West Palm Beach, suspended for 30 days, effective 30 days from a Nov. 6 court order. Clement is further placed on probation for three years, effective immediately. Clement settled a case without proper authorization. He did not inform or consult with his client or his client’s insurance company. He also did not promptly remit a settlement check to the plaintiff.
• Nadege Elliott of Fort Lauderdale, suspended until further order of the court, following a Dec. 5 court order. Elliott failed to provide competent representation to clients in three separate cases.
• Cristina Gomez of Fort Lauderdale, suspended until further order of the Court, effective immediately, following a Sept. 8 emergency suspension order that states that Gomez appeared to be causing great public harm. Gomez participated in at least three fraudulent financial transactions. Since she failed to provide all the required trust account records, The Florida Bar has so far been unable to conduct an audit to determine the magnitude of fraud and misappropriation that may have occurred.
• Michael Edward Hill of Aventura, suspended until further order, following a Dec. 2 emergency suspension order that states that Hill appeared to be causing great public harm. Hill continuously covered shortages in his trust account using funds from his operating account. He also attempted to conceal his misuse of client funds.
• Philip David Irish of Miami, suspended effective 30 days from an Oct. 8 court order. In July 2008, Irish was found guilty in circuit court of felony for possession, sale and delivery of several illicit drugs. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
• Carlo Jean-Joseph of Tamarac, suspended for nine months, effective 30 days from a Nov. 7 court order. Jean-Joseph provided non-legal services involving the execution of a real estate contract, along with assurances to provide legal representation to the buyer.
• Scott Henry Lebowitz of Pompano Beach, suspended for 10 days, effective 30 days from a Nov. 6 court order. Lebowitz failed to respond to numerous investigative inquiries from The Florida Bar regarding alleged misconduct.
• Maria Teresa Lopez of Coral Gables, suspended until further order, effective 30 days following an Oct. 29 emergency suspension order which states that Lopez appeared to be causing great public harm. Lopez was involved in fraudulent real estate transactions and misappropriated client and/or third-party funds.
• Michael M. Milchman of Fort Lauderdale, suspended for 91 days, effective 30 days from an Oct. 28 court order. Milchman violated the terms and conditions of his probation and he failed to create and maintain minimally required trust account records for the entire period of his probation and also had trust account shortages.
• Chad Jeffrey Motes of Fort Myers, suspended for 10 days, effective 30 days from a Nov. 6 court order. Motes if further ordered to attend a professionalism workshop. In the course of representing a client in a worker’s compensation matter, Motes lied to a judge.
• Alfredo Padron Jr. of Miami Lakes, suspended for 30 days, effective 30 days following an Oct. 23 court order. In May 2008, Padron pleaded to DUI (driving under the influence), a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 45 days in jail, a one-year suspension of his driver’s license and one year of probation.
• Ronald Hardy Peacock of White Springs, suspended for 91 days, effective 30 days from a Nov. 4 court order. Peacock signed a retainer agreement to work on a wrongful death case, but later denied being the attorney of record. The case was eventually dismissed for lack of prosecution because no action had been taken on it within a year. Peacock failed to recognize that he had a duty to withdraw from the case if he was not going to pursue it. He also neglected to inform the client about the status of the case.
• Robert Louis Peters Jr. of Fernandina Beach, suspended for 30 days, effective immediately, following a Dec. 9 court order. Further, upon reinstatement, Peters is placed on probation for 12 months. Peters admitted to misrepresentation in connection with a real estate deal.
• George P. Weidinger of Ocala, suspended for 91 days, effective 30 days from a Nov. 20 court order. Weidinger failed to adequately communicate and represent a client regarding two cases and failed to timely respond to the Bar’s investigative inquiries about the matters.
• Anna L. Bryant of Naples, to receive a public reprimand from The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors, following a Nov. 6 court order. While representing a client in a child custody case, Bryant knowingly filed a petition that included false and misleading statements.
• Richard Allen Buckley of Weston, to receive a public reprimand, by issuance of an order from the Florida Supreme Court, following a Dec. 4 court order. An affidavit and notice of interest in property prepared and filed by Buckley, was found to be frivolous and without legal basis.
• Libio Calejo of Miami, to receive a public reprimand, administered by publication in the Southern Reporter, following a Nov. 20 court order. Calejo failed to respond to Florida Bar inquiries regarding a grievance.
• Sean William Conway of Fort Lauderdale, to receive a public reprimand from The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors, following an Oct. 29 court order. Conway made numerous derogatory remarks about a judge on a public Internet Web site.
• David John Hart of Miami, to receive a public reprimand by issuance of an order from the Florida Supreme Court, following an Oct. 23 court order. In several immigration cases in which Hart was retained to assist clients in getting visas, a conflict of interest or the appearance of one occurred.
• Julian Stanford Lifsey of Tampa, to receive a public reprimand from The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors, following an Oct. 29 court order. Lifsey is further ordered to complete ethics school. Lifsey made false and misleading statements to a judge.
• Leslie A. Sweet of Kissimmee, to receive a public reprimand from The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors, following an Oct. 30 court order. Sweet is further placed on probation for 18 months, effective immediately. Since May 2006, Sweet had engaged in a pattern of conduct of failing to appear promptly for numerous court hearings and trials with inadequate notice to the court and clients.