2 years ago
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James Wilson says helium trusted his Las Vegas attorney, Scott Michael Cantor, to decently grip the details of his precocious mother’s property successful probate court.
Wilson, 51, is simply a retired North Las Vegas corrections sergeant who present lives successful Washington. His mother, Charley Janet Wilson, died successful Las Vegas successful 2010, and her location successful Centennial Hills was sold a twelvemonth later. The proceeds were placed successful a spot relationship astatine Cantor’s instrumentality steadfast arsenic the family’s analyzable probate lawsuit dragged connected for a decade.
“I thought the wealth was arsenic harmless arsenic Fort Knox successful a spot account,” Wilson said. “Just by the sanction alone, it’s called trust.”
But erstwhile the probate lawsuit yet resolved successful 2020, Wilson reached retired to his lawyer to get his information of his inheritance valued astatine astir $150,000. What followed from Cantor, Wilson said, was excuse aft excuse.
“There were galore times erstwhile I did telephone him and told him, ‘Hurry up and get this done,’” Wilson said. But the wealth ne'er came.
Las Vegas constabulary and Clark County prosecutors present accidental the crushed Wilson ne'er got paid is due to the fact that Cantor, 69, stole the money. The lawyer was arrested successful October and is facing proceedings connected a felony number of attempted theft.
Cantor’s attorneys did not respond to requests for remark for this story, but records obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal amusement that Cantor was antecedently disciplined by the Nevada Supreme Court for violating rules of nonrecreational behaviour successful ineligible cases dating backmost decades. Those aforesaid records besides amusement helium was disbarred by the authorities of California successful March, and that the State Bar of Nevada is present seeking to revoke Cantor’s instrumentality licence arsenic well.
“The mode I spot it, Scott stole my mother’s location … That was wealth I could person sent my kids to assemblage with,” Wilson said. “That’s what my ma wanted to see.”
At slightest 4 anterior complaints
Cantor was admitted to signifier instrumentality successful some Nevada and California successful 1978. In 1990, helium received a backstage reprimand from the Nevada barroom due to the fact that Cantor “temporarily misplaced 2 casino chips entrusted to him by a lawsuit successful 1983,” according to barroom records.
In 2014, the Nevada barroom initiated disciplinary proceedings against Cantor stemming from complaints successful 3 different cases.
The archetypal stemmed from a 2005 lawsuit successful which Cantor failed to obey a tribunal bid requiring punctual disbursement of colony monies connected behalf of a lawsuit who had received a pre-settlement beforehand indebtedness successful a civilian case.
In the 2nd case, a pistillate said she hired Cantor arsenic a divorcement lawyer and paid him much than $1,000, but she yet had to execute her ain ineligible filings aft she said Cantor didn’t bash what helium said helium was going to do. The Nevada barroom said Cantor failed to record the woman’s parenting certificates and waited a twelvemonth to record a associated petition. He besides failed to pass his lawsuit of important ineligible developments, the Nevada barroom said.
In different complaint, Cantor was hired to grip a probate lawsuit of a pistillate who died successful 2008. The Nevada barroom said helium acted arsenic an head for the property without support from the probate tribunal and ended up receiving amerciable fees successful the case. He besides failed to execute ineligible services by filing accounting documents.
Discipline successful Nevada, California
The filings with the Nevada Supreme Court bespeak Cantor entered into a conditional plea with the authorities barroom implicit the 3 complaints, acknowledging that helium violated rules of nonrecreational conduct.
As a effect of the plea, successful September 2015, the Nevada Supreme Court approved a stayed six-month suspension of Cantor’s instrumentality licence and a year’s probation with the Nevada bar. He was besides appointed a mentor by the barroom to assistance him get backmost connected track.
However, a abbreviated clip later, the mentor — a Las Vegas lawyer — reported backmost to the barroom “that helium had concerns with Cantor’s handling of spot funds,” according to barroom filings, and that “Cantor admitted to a shortfall” of $37,000 successful a spot account.
As a result, successful November 2016, the Nevada Supreme Court signed disconnected connected a Nevada barroom proposal extending Cantor’s stayed instrumentality licence suspension to 3 years. An audit of his spot money relationship was ordered on with a repayment of immoderate deficiencies.
Cantor was besides required to usage an accounting and lawsuit absorption system, and supply quarterly reports connected his progress.
The Nevada subject past triggered the California authorities barroom to initiate its ain disciplinary proceedings against Cantor. Cantor was disbarred successful California successful March for repeatedly failing to conscionable requirements imposed connected him.
The Nevada bar, successful its November petition, said Cantor besides ne'er informed them that helium had been disbarred successful California, adjacent though helium was required to bash so, and that the nonaccomplishment of his licence successful California was lone discovered arsenic the Nevada barroom investigated “another matter” regarding Cantor. The filings don’t supply details connected what the Nevada barroom is investigating.
Waiting for a check
Wilson said successful 2020 that helium became progressively frustrated with Cantor’s chronic excuses arsenic to wherefore helium had not transferred Wilson’s mother’s inheritance to him. A bid of exchanges successful autumn 2020 near him convinced that thing was earnestly wrong.
“I told Scott, ‘I privation to spot the wealth successful my account,’” Wilson said. “He said, ‘I’ll person the wealth successful your account. I’ll spell implicit and bash a ligament transportation astatine Nevada State Bank.’”
Later that day, Wilson said Cantor told him helium couldn’t marque the ligament transportation due to the fact that the slope had closed astatine 2 p.m.
“I was like, ‘A slope closes astatine 2 p.m.?’” Wilson said.
In the pursuing days, Cantor told him the wealth was, successful fact, sent to him via ligament transfer.
“He sent maine a representation of this letter,” Wilson said. “It says ligament transfer. It had the magnitude connected there, but it didn’t deed my bank. Then I started looking astatine this missive and the benignant people was off. The lines were crooked.”
Wilson said helium sent the representation of the missive to respective friends who are retired cops, and they each told him “that looks hinky,” Wilson recalled.
Wilson past filed a ailment with Las Vegas constabulary past January. Detectives wrote successful an apprehension study for Cantor that they learned the lawyer besides told Wilson helium needed to audit his spot account.
“After Mr. Cantor’s audit, helium told (Wilson) that determination was lone $200 successful his spot account,” constabulary said. “Mr. Cantor told (Wilson) that helium would marque bully connected the funds, but ne'er paid.”
Wilson said Cantor offered him mining contracts arsenic reimbursement, but helium inactive ne'er got immoderate money. Wilson is hoping helium volition 1 time beryllium reimbursed for the nonaccomplishment done tribunal proceedings oregon perchance by the Nevada bar.
“I wouldn’t privation this connected anybody,” Wilson said.
Contact Glenn Puit by email astatine gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ connected Twitter.
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