Coral Gables attorney Francisco Jose Aguero has been suspended following a Dec. 21 Florida Supreme Court order over irregularities in his client trust funds, according to a recent announcement by the Florida Bar.
Aguero's suspension, his second in two months, was effective immediately, according to the Florida State Bar Jan. 29 announcement of the discipline and the state Supreme Court's order. "According to a petition for emergency suspension, Aguero appeared to be causing great public harm by his misappropriation of client trust funds," the Florida Bar's announcement said "A bar audit found that Aguero should have had approximately $135,000 in trust, when, in fact, he had a balance of $36.97."
In Florida, court orders are not final until time to file a rehearing motion expires. Filing such a motion would not alter the effective date of the Aguero's suspension.
Aguero was admitted to the Florida bar March 31, 2000, according to his profile at the state bar website. The 1996 graduate of the St. Thomas University School of Law had no other discipline before the state bar for at least 10 years prior to his first suspension in November, according to his profile.
Aguero was suspended until further court order following a Florida Supreme Court order handed down in December. While suspended, Aguero is not permitted to accept new clients from the date of the court's order and he was to immediately cease representing any clients, according to the order. He also is required to stop disbursing or withdrawing any monies from his trust account related without the court's approval, according to the order.
The previous month, Aguero was held in contempt and suspended pending his full reply in writing to the official state bar inquiry following a Nov. 3 Florida Supreme Court order. The state high court, in handing down that order, granted the Florida Bar's petition for contempt and order to show cause, the latter to which Aguero had previously failed to respond.
Aguero also was ordered to pay $1,250 in costs.