Florida Supreme Court Suspends Former Locke Lord Partner in $400M Crypto Case
"In my opinion, my case was far too complicated for a jury to understand, and to get it right," the attorney said via email Thursday, vowing to fight the criminal and ethics charges against him.
February 28, 2020 at 01:00 AM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Daily Business Review
Miami attorney Mark S. Scott has been suspended until further notice, after a New York court found him guilty of two felony counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and bank fraud.
Scott's crimes stemmed from what prosecutors said was a $400 million wire-fraud scam, grounded in cryptocurrency business OneCoin.
Scott is a former partner at Locke Lord. He was admitted to practice in Florida in 1998, and has no prior disciplinary history.
|
Read more: Ex-Locke Lord Partner Swiftly Convicted in $400M Crypto Case
Scott's discipline case is ongoing, with Miami-Dade County Court Judge Natalie Moore serving as the court-appointed referee. Moore will make recommendations to the high court on potential sanctions under Florida Bar Rule 3-7.2(h), which governs procedures on criminal or professional misconduct.
Meanwhile, Scott maintains that he is innocent, and declined an offer to permanently give up his law license to save time and expense.
"In my opinion, my case was far too complicated for a jury to understand, and to get it right," Scott said via email Thursday. "It is my hope and expectation that Judge [Edgardo] Ramos will have a better handle of the facts, spanning several countries, and how to apply the rather complicated laws, such as extraterritorial restrictions on wire fraud."
Scott says he will contest his bar discipline case and criminal case, having moved for an acquittal under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29, or a new trial under Rule 33. Scott's defense attorneys argued he was tricked by OneCoin's founder into laundering money and committing fraud.
But jurors disagreed.
"I will continue to fight as long as it takes, and do whatever it takes to restore my good reputation. And believe me, the U.S. federal government makes sure you have almost no chance. The DOJ attorneys, in my opinion, while many, I am sure, are very smart and skilled, have every advantage on their side—unlimited research power, procedural advantages, a dream team of jurors to pick from that they offer deals to," Scott said. "This is always a David-versus-Goliath fight. AUSAs get away with everything. Hopefully this time we can show how they crossed the line."
Miami defense attorney David Garvin represents Scott, who is scheduled for sentencing in New York April 22.
Scott was one of 11 Florida lawyers disciplined between Jan. 25 to Feb. 21, according to information the Florida Bar released Thursday. Five lawyers were suspended, two disbarred, two reprimanded, one was admonished and one placed on probation.
Read more:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllLaw Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1The Year That Was
- 2Employment Law Changes Expected From Second Trump Administration
- 3Decision of the Day: Sri Lanka Granted Stay of Litigation Over Defaulted Sovereign Bond Debt
- 4AI Adoption, Data Center Building Boom Opening More Doors for Cybercriminals, Many of Them Teenagers
- 5Mayor's Advisory Committee To Hold Hearing on Fitness of Judicial Candidates
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250