1-14-23
Attorney Leslie Ferderigos, Esq. has been the target of Elder Law Attorneys across the state of Florida, since she successfully freed 9 victims of guardianships in 2020. After Ms. Ferderigos successfully restored the rights of these victim, Elder Law Attorneys could no longer collect money from these people’s estates which they blamed Ms. Ferderigos for. Elder Law Attorney Kyle Fletcher, Esq. became part of a criminal extortion scheme against Ms. Ferderigos’ for the purpose of having her license to practice law taken away. If he could do this, she would no longer interfere in the Elder Law Attorney’s money-making guardianship racket. Under Florida Chapter 744, an attorney who represents a guardian is paid by the ward’s estate, as long as, a person remains the ward of a guardianship. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2021/Chapter744
In February 2021, Ms. Ferderigos became a victim of criminal extortion by her former paralegal, Sharteen Viera. After Ms. Ferderigos fired Ms. Viera, she made demands for Ms. Ferderigos to wire her $7000 within 3 days, or she would ruin Ms. Ferderigos’ legal career and publicly disclose attorney-client privileged information from her cases with the intention to harm Ms. Ferderigos and her clients. When Ms. Ferderigos refused to turn this money over to her, she began to reach out to others to assist her in the destruction of Ms. Ferderigos’ career.
One of the individuals she was able to recruit was Steven Fulladosa, who had an extensive history of criminal activities and convictions. With Ms. Viera’s knowledge of the blacklash Ms. Ferderigos was receiving from the Elder Law Attorneys, specifically Elder Law Attorney Kyle Fletcher, Esq., she successfully recruited Mr. Fletcher and a team to work together in their efforts of destroying Ms. Ferderigos’ career.
Ms. Viera launched a 2-year campaign, that started with Ms. Viera filing a bar complaint against Ms. Ferderigos containing attorney-client privileged information. Ms. Viera intentionally sent this bar complaint to Courts, Judges, Lawyers, and the public across Florida. In addition to this, she stole client contact information from Ms. Ferderigos and made efforts to recruit as many people as she could to file bad faith bar complaints against Ms. Ferderigos.
Early in the Florida Bar’s investigation, Ms. Ferderigos provided the Florida Bar affidavits from clients who Ms. Viera tried to recruit, making it clear what was going on and stating Kyle Fletcher, Esq. involvement. Yet the Florida Bar chose to ignore this evidence.
In a conversation with the Assistant State Attorney, & Ms. Ferderigos in November 2022, it was concluded that there was enough evidence to prove criminal extortion and criminal conspiracy without a reasonable doubt. State Attorney informed Ms. Ferderigos that he would make this case a priority and he directed her to continue to send him any evidence in addition to what had been already provided, as Ms. Ferderigos continues to discover more and more people who are involved in this criminal conspiracy.
Some evidence which the state has been provided can be viewed on the following hour long video, showing you actual written evidence and a clear timeline of how this crime was orchestrated. After watching this video in its entirety, there will be no doubt to the crime perpetrated against Ms. Ferderigos. Remember, all this evidence was provided to the Florida Bar. Yet, they did nothing and assisted in these criminal acts against Ms. Ferderigos by having knowledge to what was taking place and being in receipt of undisputed evidence of the complainants criminal conspiracy and criminal extortion against Ms Ferderigos and allowing these complainants to engage in their scheme, where they distributed their bar complaints containing attorney client privileged information from Ms. Ferderigos law firm and sending it to courts across the state of Florida. The Florida Bar was also aware there is a criminal case pending for these charges that the assistant state attorney plans to prosecute for and still allowed these complainants to engage in their scheme, when the Florida Bar could have stopped it under they investigation rules. The Florida Bar had knowledge there was a crime taking place and allowed it to happen for almost two years at the detriment of the public, even allowing Attorney Kyle Fletcher to assist in the distribution of this privileged information, without reporting him or reprimanding him.
From 2020 until 2022, over 15 bar complaints had been filed against Ms. Ferderigos, some from other guardianship attorneys, guardians, and former clients. It was discovered that Kyle Fletcher, Esq., had been telling clients of Ms. Ferderigos that he would handle their case for free if they went up against Ms. Ferderigos. And from 2021-2022, Mr. Fletcher made appearances as the attorney of record for former clients of Ms. Ferderigos, including: Steven Fulladosa, Sharteen Viera, & Jennifer Miles, who had no relationship with these individuals prior to their relationship with Ms. Ferderigos.
The Florida Bar chose to entertain the voluminous amount of bar complaints against Ms. Ferderigos and they continue to keep these complaints open. Over a year ago, the Florida Bar, specifically Bar Counsel, Karen Bankowitz, Esq. and Bar Investigator, David Pennell, were provided voluminous amounts of evidence, that demonstrate clearly this criminal scheme. However, the Florida Bar refused to do anything about it or provide any evidence of this to grievance committees who were deciding whether they would file formal complaints against Ms. Ferderigos.
Most concerning, is the Florida Bar allowed Ms. Viera, along with the other conspirators, to send their bad faith bar complaints to courts across the state of Florida and within the legal community of Florida, containing confidential attorney-client privileged information that Ms. Viera was privy to while acting as a paralegal for Mr. Ferderigos law firm. This was detrimental to Ms. Ferderigos’ clients. And client, Victoria Lucera, plans to file a Federal Lawsuit against the Florida Bar for the harm done in her case directly related to these Bar Complaints.
Despite Ms. Ferderigos repeated requests for the Florida Bar to file an injunction against the distribution of this privileged information, they did nothing. It is important to note, these actions were be taken during the confidential investigation stage of the Florida Bar complaint process and under the Rules imposed for investigations in this stage, attorney-client privileged information was to remain protected.
Attorney Kyle Fletcher, esq. even took attorney-client privileged information he obtained from Ms. Viera, on cases she was privy to during her course as a paralegal for Ms. Ferderigos, and published it in various unrelated cases, for the purpose of harming Ms. Ferderigos and her clients. Yet the Florida Bar took no measures to report or discipline Mr. Fletcher, allowing him to engage in highly unethical conduct.
These conspirators even took measures to file a bar complaint against Ms. Ferderigos husband, Michael Ferderigos, Esq. The complainant, Beth DiGiorgio never met or spoke to Mr. Ferderigos prior to her filing this complaint. Yet, the Florida Bar refused to drop this unwarranted complaint and instead used it as a mechanism to gain an affidavit against Ms. Ferderigos, from her husband. During a conversation between Mr. Ferderigos and Investigator, David Pennell, in December 2022, Mr. Pennell stated that Ms. Ferderigos’ husband’s complaint would have been dropped, but it remained open because he was married to Ms. Ferderigos, then he proceeded to request for Mr. Ferderigos to make statements against his wife as a means to get the complaint dropped. It is important to note, that he was acting under the Florida Bar when he took these actions.
The Florida Bar intentionally and maliciously contributed to the criminal scheme intended to harm Ms. Ferderigos for over 2 years, despite being in receipt of the undisputed evidence of this criminal conspiracy. They even allowed discriminatory statements about Ms. Ferderigos mental health, to be published with their name attached, knowing Ms. Ferderigos suffered from bipolar disorder. Ms. Ferderigos, begged for them to get their names off these published statements to the public, which they refused
Throughout the investigation, the Florida Bar would send Ms. Ferderigos petitions for her to sign for her permanent retirement from law, stating if she did this, all the bar complaints would go away. In efforts to get Ms. Ferderigos to voluntarily revoke her bar license.
On January 9, 2023, Karen Bankowitz, Esq. Counsel for the Florida Bar took efforts to send police to Ms. Ferderigos home to have her institutionalized claiming she was suicidal having not spoken directly to Ms. Ferderigos nor speaking with anyone with first hand knowledge to Ms. Ferderigos current mental state.
They want me out, I knew this from the beginning of this ordeal two years ago. No one believed me, they thought I was being paranoid. They used my mental health diagnosis against me. I begged them to stop what was going on. I have been made fun of, disrespected, my entire law firm ruined, my mental health has been in crisis for the past year. I was a good attorney, doing what was right. I never imagined the Florida Bar who is supposed to support me, aided with these criminals against me. It makes no sense whatsoever. The only sense I can make of it, is I tapped into the pockets of the Elder Law Attorneys and they wanted me out.
Leslie Ferderigos, Esq.
The public is also irate by the Florida Bar’s involvement and have reached out to Ms. Ferderigos with their support and plan to protest about what took place outside the Florida Supreme Court this year.
Mugshots of Sharteen Viera & Steven Fulladosa from former arrests
The Investigative Reporter 