TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Tallahassee attorney who was disbarred has now been arrested for allegedly stealing from one of his clients.
According to court records, Gus Soto, 68, got his client a $45,000 worker’s compensation settlement but allegedly forged his client’s name on the check and took all the money for himself.
The victim’s friend, an attorney, reached out to law enforcement after the victim told him he hadn’t received his settlement check when he should have.
According to court records, attorney fees were only supposed to be $5,500.
Soto allegedly told the victim that the money from the settlement was put into a “trust to be used for future medical expenses” related to the victim’s injury.
Soto was arrested for allegedly stealing a worker’s compensation settlement check from a client(LCSO)
Several months later, the victim requested to draw on the funds from the settlement and became suspicious of how Soto handled it. The settlement check had been deposited into a bank account controlled by Soto, according to documents.
Documents show the victim asked about the funds again last year, not knowing that Soto had been disbarred in 2022.
Soto was disbarred for a discrepancy in disseminating client funds. He’s been accused of not paying nearly $400,000 to five other clients.
The victim later learned the settlement from 2021 was written to both him and Soto’s law firm. When he received a copy of the deposited check, he said his signature on the back was forged.
When speaking with law enforcement, Soto said he presented the victim with documents showing the breakdown of how the settlement money would be split, documents the victim claimed to have not seen or approved.
Soto told law enforcement he “did not recall the check” and if it had been disbursed “correctly,” only the attorney fees would have been paid to him.
Law enforcement showed him the back of the deposited check, and he denied it being his signature.
Documents show that as of November 13, 2025, Soto had not provided any documentation to prove a check for the settlement, minus the attorney fees, was ever made out to the victim. However, a check worth the full $45,000 settlement was deposited into an account owned by Soto.
Soto was arrested on Wednesday and charged with grand theft. He was granted a $1,000 bond.
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