Lawyer Gone Bad #1: 50 Years In Prison For Ponzi Scheming Lawyer Scott Rothstein

Disbarred and disgraced Florida lawyer and Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein was sentenced today by a federal court to 50 years in prison. Speaking to the court about the largest financial fraud ($1.2 billion) that has ever taken place in South Florida, Rothstein said that he was "truly and deeply sorry for what I have done." 

In pronouncing sentencing, Judge James Cohn stated that the defendant had "created an appearance of legitimacy" but "it was all a facade, a fraud.'' Judge Cohn noted that Rothstein forged court orders "to perpetuate the Ponzi scheme," adding that there "can be no conduct more reviled than a lawyer perpetrating a fraud on the court."'