SARASOTA, Fla. -- A divorce and family attorney disbarred from practicing law is accused of misusing his clients' money, totaling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Jordan Wallach, 63, is charged with a count of grand theft of $100,000 or more, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison if convicted. However, the amount he's accused of misappropriating is at least $215,353.39, according to a Sarasota Police Department news release.
He was arrested Thursday.
Police say one of the first instances of trouble happened in September 2017. When one of Wallach's victims tried to cash a life insurance check from his firm, it bounced.
A month later, a petition was issued for him to replace the funds. When they were not, Wallach's accounts were frozen.
The investigation continued into November when Sarasota police detectives spoke with several victims who told them they entrusted Wallach to their money, but he never returned it.
Police later discovered he had been writing checks not listed on his firm's accounting ledgers and was moving money to other accounts belonging to himself.
He was voluntarily disbarred from the Florida bar in January 2018.
Sarasota detectives believe there could be other victims. Concerned people are asked to call detective Ross Revill at 941-954-7092 or Crime Stoppers at 941-366-TIPS.
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