Former Memphis lawyer faces charges
A former Memphis lawyer now faces federal charges for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars that were meant for his clients. He had already been disbarred and charged criminally at the state level.
George E. Skouteris Jr. was federally indicted Aug. 21 on seven counts of bank fraud.
The indictment alleges the lawyer stole settlement checks that were meant for his clients, forging signatures and using them for his own benefit.
The indictment alleges he has obtained more than $250,000 as a result of the scheme — however, the specific transactions listed in the indictment involve smaller amounts of money. For instance, count one of the indictment alleges that in 2009 the insurance company State Farm issued a check for $12,000 for one of his clients, and Skouteris forged the client’s signature and deposited it in his own bank account. He’s accused of similar behavior in the other counts, and the indictment says Skouteris lied to clients about the status of their cases to hide the fraud.
The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility disbarred him in 2014, and filled additional disciplinary actions in later years.
He also faces state criminal charges. It’s not clear if the state proceedings will continue now that a federal case has been filed.
A federal criminal indictment to one count of bank fraud had been filed against him in June, but there have been no filings in that case since then, according to online records.
Skouteris has not yet entered a plea to the new federal indictment. He’s been released on his own recognizance and an arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, according to online court records.
Reach reporter Daniel Connolly at 529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com, or on Twitter at @danielconnolly.