Some Rothstein Victims Finally Get Their Money
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) – It's been two years in the making, but for several victims who didn't invest in Scott Rothstein's Ponzi scheme but were still impacted; they finally got their money.
Attorney Seth Lehrman said Brian Korinko and roughly 36 other law firm clients were Rothstein's most innocent victims that had nothing to do with the investment scheme.
"These are people who had legitimate claims, who had attorneys who won their claims for them, had their money deposited into their lawyers trust account and before the clients could receive their money, all of this happened," Lerhman said.
Korinko was one of the indirect victims of Rothstein's Ponzi scheme. Rothstein represented Korinko in a wrongful death lawsuit after Brian's wife died in a car accident.
Korinko won the case and the money was deposited into a Rothstein law firm trust account. But when the Ponzi scheme finally collapsed, the account was seized. Brian said it was like he had been mugged.
"Like I got robbed at an ATM machine, like someone came up behind me, took my wallet, and ran," Korinko said.
A total of 15 people were expected to pick up their checks Friday as part of the Rothstein settlement.
In other Rothstein news, a Florida federal judge ruled Friday that Scott Rothstein can be questioned under oath to help bankruptcy and other lawyers sort out the financial wreckage he left behind when his Ponzi scheme collapsed.
But, the deposition will be delay for six months at the request of prosecutors.
The deposition is scheduled for the week of December 12.
