Prosecutors Seek Forfeiture of $285K Lost When Orlando Law Firm Fell Victim to Scam

Federal prosecutors are trying to recover $285,000 lost by an Orlando law firm that fell victim to a scam by forwarding funds to a “client” before the settlement check cleared.

The KEL law firm, formerly known as Kaufman, Englett and Lynd, sent the check to a bank account in Japan, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The client had identified himself as David Benson and said his employer, Fred Sanders, had wrongfully fired him. Both names were aliases and the check was counterfeit.

The U.S. Attorney’s office has filed a civil forfeiture action seeking to recover the money.