Florida Supremes Yank Attorney's Law License For Duping 74-Year Old Woman Out Of $227K Proceeds From Sale Of Her Late Mother's Home; Ex-Lawyer Still Faces Criminal Charges For Allegedly Altering Mortgage Foreclosure Records To Benefit Homeowner-Clients

In New Port Richey, Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reports:

• The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday [May 25] disbarred Pasco County attorney and former congressional candidate Constantine Kalogianis.
  
  The justices accepted the recommendation of a court-appointed referee, who found that Kalogianis was "drenched in deceitful motive" in his dealings with 74-year-old Jacqueline Drury.
  
  Kalogianis, who turns 54 on Saturday, still faces felony criminal charges for allegedly altering mortgage foreclosure records to benefit homeowners he represented.
  
  A veteran attorney, Kalogianis was developing a subdivision in New Port Richey in 2007 when Drury hired him to handle the sale of her late mother's home. An assistant to Kalogianis suggested that Drury "invest" the $227,000 proceeds of the sale with the attorney.
  
  According to the referee's report, neither the assistant nor Kalogianis ever made it clear to the "financially unsophisticated" Drury what she was investing in. In fact, the money was a personal loan to Kalogianis secured by second mortgages on his then-home and lots in the subdivision where he was building a new million-dollar house.
  
  The lenders eventually foreclosed on the first mortgage, wiping our Drury's second mortgage. Kalogianis also stopped making interest payments on his loan from Drury and he did not pay back the $227,000 after the agreed-upon five years.
  
  At a hearing last summer, Drury recounted how the loss of the money left her so broke that she had to give up cable TV and her car and couldn't even afford to see a dentist.(1)
  
  The Supreme Court suspended Kalogianis immediately from taking new business and gave him 30 days to shut down his practice. He could reapply for admission to the Bar after five years.

Source: Pasco county lawyer disbarred for taking woman's money.

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(1) In Florida, the Clients' Security Fund was created by The Florida Bar to help (at least partially) compensate persons who have suffered a loss of money or property due to misappropriation or embezzlement by a Florida-licensed attorney.

For similar "attorney ripoff reimbursement funds" that sometimes help cover the financial mess created by the dishonest conduct of lawyers licensed in other states and Canada, see:

• Directory Of Lawyers' Funds For Client Protection (February 2017) (includes Canadian recovery funds, courtesy of the American Bar Association);
• Check the USA Client Protection Funds Map;
• Check the Canada Client Protection Funds Map.

Maps available courtesy of The National Client Protection Organization, Inc.