A personal injury attorney in west-central Florida is accused of stealing more than $840,000 from clients, authorities said.
Christopher Michael Reynolds, 44, of Pinellas Park, was arrested Monday and charged with 13 counts of grand theft, including one count of grand theft from a person 65 years of age or older, according to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office online booking records. He also faces two counts of money laundering.
During a news conference on Monday, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said that at least 16 clients had their cases settled and then had their money stolen.
According to the sheriff, Reynolds, whose practice was located in Seminole, was supposed to refer his clients -- mostly victims of vehicle accidents -- to medical providers by issuing a “letter of protection,” WFLA-TV reported. He was then supposed to bill charges to the insurance companies of the drivers who were at fault in the accidents, according to the television station.
Gualtieri said that Reynolds took more than $100,000 each from multiple clients, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
According to the sheriff, Reynolds allegedly spent more than $30,000 on OnlyFans, an adult content subscription service, the newspaper reported. He also spent more than $400,000 on PayPal and more than $24,000 on Uber, a ride-sharing app, Gualtieri said. The sheriff added that Reynolds allegedly spent more than $25,000 on MMbill, an anonymous billing site, WFLA reported.
Gualtieri said the office was first notified about Reynolds in October 2022 by one of his alleged victims, according to WFTS-TV. The former client said that Reynolds stopped communicating with them and did not pay the medical bills or give them any settlement money, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
The first time Reynolds allegedly took money from clients was in December 2018, the sheriff’s office said.
According to WFTS, Reynolds was suspended by the Florida Supreme Court on Dec. 15, 2022, as a result of the allegations. A summary of the suspension order, posted on the Florida Bar’s website, states that Reynolds “abandoned his law practice without notice.”
“They’re licensed to practice law,” Gualtieri said in a news release. “They’ve got the boxes checked, they’ve got the credentials, they’ve got the credibility that goes with that, and they’re really just a thief who is ripping them off.”
Reynolds remained in jail, with bail set at $395,000, online records show. He will be arraigned on March 20, online court records show.
