A disbarred Davie attorney pleaded not guilty to fraud and theft for allegedly withholding $312,000 in settlement funds from at least 13 clients in workers' compensation and personal injury cases.

Bradley Douglas, a lawyer from 2004 until he voluntarily surrendered his license in 2018, was in court Thursday to answer grand theft and organized fraud charges in two cases filed last year and this month. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison.

"Some of the victims could not afford to buy food or cover other basic expenses because they had been injured and desperately needed the settlement money," the Broward state attorney's office said in a news release.

Douglas' petition to surrender his law license while under investigation by the Florida Bar described gaining settlements for seven clients while failing to turn over any of the money after deducting his fees. The two biggest losers were in line for settlements of $175,000 in a workers' comp case and $110,000 in a personal injury case.

Douglas' criminal defense attorney, Michael Gottlieb of Fort Lauderdale, said Friday that he expects to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors.

"We've had some very preliminary negotiations as to how we're going to wrap up the case," Gottlieb said, "We're not going to trial, I can tell you that, not on a case like this. As you said, he's already gone into the bar and admitted his guilt."

Douglas, 43, was the target of a complaint filed by a compensation claims judge based on letters from two clients alleging misappropriation and a lack of communications.

Another client said his workers' comp case was accepted by Douglas, but communication ended there.

Unpaid settlement money listed in Douglas' pro se filing with the Florida Supreme Court totaled $328,650, but prosecutors charged $312,000 was stolen from at least 13 clients in under two years. There was no explanation for the discrepancy in the dollar amount.

Police traced money flowing from settling defendants into Douglas' trust accounts, but no checks were written to his clients, who stretched from Homestead to Montgomery, Alabama.

A workers' comp client whose name was on a settlement check along with Douglas' name told police his attorney "took the money and ran," according to an arrest report. Douglas refused to take the client's calls after the check was cashed.

"He made a mistake and got behind on bills and expenses and didn't to the right thing with clients' money. He's trying to rectify that," Gottlieb said. Asked if the clients have been paid, he said, "I believe some if not all have been paid either by the bar or the insurance company."

Assistant State Attorney Justin McCormack is prosecuting the case investigated by his office, Davie police and the Florida Bar.

Douglas is free on bond and wearing an ankle monitor. His voluntary disbarment allows him to ask for a license reinstatement in five years. With the passage of time, that means 2023.

Read the Florida Supreme Court petition: