CLEARWATER, Fla. — A former lawyer faces multiple charges of theft and fraud after investigators say he stole about $700,000 from clients over a period of three years.
According to FDLE, 52-year-old Moein Marashi from Clearwater was arrested after an investigation found he had "deprived clients of money entrusted to him for legal services."
Marashi was a member of the Florida Bar Association from 2002 until he was disbarred in August 2019, FDLE reports. The investigation also began in 2019.
Authorities say Marashi defrauded several clients out of thousands of dollars by using accounts at multiple banks in Hillsborough County. And, he is accused of using the names and signatures of multiple clients without their authorization or consent to get documents allowing him to receive settlement checks from an insurance company.
Additionally, FDLE says he wrote a check for $3,700 from a bank account closed in 2018 to another account with insufficient funds, then withdrew all that money.
In total, investigators say Marashi stole about $700,000 from April 4, 2016 through Feb. 4, 2019.
He was arrested Friday and is charged with two counts of grand theft of $100,000 or more, five counts of grand theft of $20,000 or more, two counts of grand theft of $10,000 or more, one count of scheme to defraud $50,000 or more, two counts of use of personal identification information, one count of cash/deposit item with the intent to defraud, and one count of uttering a forged instrument.
He is currently being held in the Pinellas County Jail.
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