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Florida lawyer suspended after conviction…
Lawyer Self-discipline
Florida lawyer suspended after conviction for embezzlement whereas a paralegal
By Debra Cassens Weiss
July 16, 2025, 10:42 am CDT
A Florida lawyer has been suspended following her conviction for embezzling from a legislation agency the place she as soon as labored as a a paralegal.
The Florida Supreme Courtroom suspended lawyer Amaris Marie Delapena in a July 9 resolution, Law360 stories.
Jurors convicted Delapena of 15 counts of wire fraud and 22 counts of financial institution fraud in a June retrial. U.S. District Choose Paul G. Byron of the Center District of Florida set sentencing for Sept. 3.
A superseding indictment alleges Delapena obtained a minimum of $193,000 by the fraud scheme that concerned unlawful PayPal transfers and diversion of third-party checks written to her legislation agency.
The wire-fraud counts accused Delapena of opening two PayPal accounts within the title of her legislation agency, after which diverting agency funds from these accounts to PayPal accounts owned by her then-boyfriend and now-husband, in response to a Jan. 31 resolution overturning Delapena’s preliminary conviction.
The legislation agency’s solely lawyer relied on Delapena to run his chapter agency’s Orlando workplace and gave her authority to outsource work making ready chapter petitions. Delapena employed the boyfriend to arrange petitions, the protection stated, and the boyfriend earned the cash the agency paid him by PayPal.
Byron overturned Delapena’s preliminary conviction as a result of the federal government failed to incorporate PayPal native recordsdata in an exhibit that was moved into proof. In consequence, the protection was not in a position to cross-examine a PayPal consultant about whether or not the recordsdata included notations by the boyfriend on PayPal requests for fee.
Delapena earned her legislation diploma between the time of the alleged offenses and her trial, in response to a press launch saying the preliminary conviction. The discharge described Delapena as a Windermere lawyer; the Florida Bar lists Clermont as the situation for her legislation workplace.
Delapena, who additionally glided by Amaris Miller, in response to the superseding indictment, is represented within the ethics case by lawyer Warren W. Lindsey. Neither Lindsey nor Delapena instantly replied to e-mail requests for remark by the ABA Journal. Delapena additionally didn’t instantly reply to a voice mail left along with her legislation agency.
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