NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A criminal defense attorney accused of defrauding a client’s family out of hundreds of thousands of dollars could lose her law license, according to a legal expert.
Tanzanika Ruffin is accused of telling her client’s family she needed $250,000 to cover restitution in their case, but prosecutors say in court records the case never involved restitution.
REALTED: New Orleans defense attorney accused of defrauding client’s family out of at least $250,000
A court transcript shows this week Ruffin admitted in court she never discussed the restitution with prosecutors.
“You can’t obviously make up things…to get more money from the client,” said Richard Leefe, former Louisiana State Bar Association president. “That’s a disciplinary offense, for sure.”
Alleged scheme details
Court records indicate Ruffin’s client’s family began to pay her lump sums of the $250,000 in restitution she told them had been negotiated with prosecutors but didn’t exist.
“The bottom line is you have to be honest with your client,” Leefe said. “The honesty is the factor, the basic factor of…the relationship with the client.”
Documents indicate the alleged scheme goes deeper. In the court transcript, prosecutors allege Ruffin presented a nondisclosure agreement to the defendant’s family about the restitution, which they’ve called a fabricated legal matter.
“The implication is it was a cover up so they wouldn’t be talking to the DA about it. Well, yet again, that’s not being honest with your client,” Leefe said.
Additional charges
Records show two additional charges prosecutors pointed out: $8,000 from Hansen’s family for a mitigation report that prosecutors say didn’t exist. When the family asked Ruffin about it, she allegedly responded it had been filed under seal, though no such documents appear in the record.
Ruffin also allegedly told Hansen’s family she needed $1,500 to represent his girlfriend, though a source says that individual was never arrested or charged.
“That’s clearly violating the rules…if (it’s all) true,” Leefe said.
District attorney response
A spokesperson says the district attorney’s office has an obligation to notify the court about allegations of attorney misconduct. He calls the allegations deeply concerning.
Potential consequences
Ruffin’s consequences could be as severe as disbarment, especially since Ruffin was disciplined before. She couldn’t practice law for 30 days after a 2004 case in which she allegedly threatened to arrest someone while employed at the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office.
Leefe says a bar investigation is likely, and Fox 8 Legal Analyst Joe Raspanti has said criminal charges are possible. In order for the bar’s disciplinary board to investigate cases, someone has to submit a formal complaint. From there, the board suggests discipline to the state Supreme Court, which the justices ultimately decide.
Ruffin’s representatives declined comment. In an announcement on social media last month, she indicated she would run for criminal court judge in an upcoming election.
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