Orlando attorney Victor Felix Rodriguez has agreed to his own disbarment following an Oct. 26 Florida Supreme Court order after the Florida Bar Association alleged he misappropriated of funds from clients and his former employer and failed to maintain trust account compliance.
The state supreme court issued its two-page order of disciplinary revocation, tantamount to disbarment, and granted Rodriguez leave to seek readmission after five years. Rodriguez was already suspended following an order handed down in April, which meant his disbarment was effective immediately, according to the order. The high court also ordered Rodriguez to pay $15,217 in costs.
The Florida State Bar announced the discipline and the state court's order Nov. 21. In Florida, court orders are not final until after time to file a rehearing motion expires. Rodriguez was admitted to the bar in Florida on Oct. 30, 2014, according to his profile at the state bar website.
Other allegations Rodriguez faced included altering two checks and making them payable to himself and mobile depositing both checks into his bank account via mobile deposit, according to Rodriquez's uncontested petition for disciplinary revocation. Rodriguez also allegedly made misrepresentations during the state bar's investigation but admitted to commingling personal funds with client funds in his firm's trust account, according to Rodriguez's uncontested petition for disciplinary revocation.
Rodriguez also allegedly certified on his state bar fee statement for 2016 the he was in compliance with the trust account and property safety keeping rules, according to Rodriquez's uncontested petition for disciplinary revocation.
Rodriguez agreed to allow a state bar audit of his accounts and provided the state bar with a sworn financial affidavit, according to his petition.
Rodriguez was suspended in April, following a state court order the same month that granted a state bar petition for emergency suspension. "The bar’s investigation of this matter has indicated that respondent engaged in a pattern of dishonest conduct, including, but not limited to, misappropriating client funds, fraudulently altering checks, and making misrepresentations under oath to the Florida Bar," the petition said.