Man Scammed by Lawyers for $275,000; New Lawyer Wins It Back and Declines Payment (VIDEO)
In March 2008, Patrick Coulton was arrested on federal drug and money-laundering charges for smuggling cocaine and marijuana. His family hired two attorneys, Emmanuel Roy and Peter Mayas, and the South Florida resident pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 years in prison with the expectation that prosecutors would reduce the sentence. However, the attorneys had vanished when it came down to work out the reduction.
A new attorney, Paul Petruzzi, took over the case and discovered a string of transgressions by Roy and Mayas that amounted to $275,000 when the case should have cost Coulton less than $50,000.
Roy is now serving seven years in federal prison for unrelated fraud convictions, and the pair have been ordered to pay Coulton back in full. The restitution also included Mayas' former home, where Coulton, who got out early for good behavior, and his family now live.
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Petruzzi declined payment for his work in the case. However, the judge ordered Roy and Mayas to pay him nearly $100,000 in fees and expenses, with interest accruing as they delay. And then there's the intangible reward of helping redeem his profession.
"I took it personally because this is what I do," he said to the Sun Sentinel. "This what lawyers are supposed to do, is help people."
