NEW ORLEANS — Miami attorney Oscar Augusto Araujo has received a largely deferred suspension following a Feb. 25 Louisiana Supreme Court attorney disciplinary proceeding over allegations involving his client trust account.
The Supreme Court handed down a year-and-a-day suspension, with all but 30 days deferred and placed Araujo on two-year period of conditional supervised probation, according to its single page attorney disciplinary proceeding.
The court also ordered Araujo to pay all costs and expenses plus interest, in the matter.
"The office of disciplinary counsel commenced an investigation into allegations that [Araujo] mismanaged his client trust account," the Supreme Court's attorney disciplinary proceeding said. "During the investigation, [Araujo] also made a false statement of material fact to the ODC."
The attorney disciplinary proceeding did not describe the nature of the false statement [Araujo] was alleged to have made to the ODC.
Before formal charges were filed, Araujo and the ODC submitted a joint petition for consent discipline. The conditions of Araujo's probations were included in the joint petition for consent discipline, according to the high court's attorney disciplinary proceeding.
"Any failure of [Araujo] to comply with the conditions of probation, or any misconduct during the probationary period, may be grounds for making the deferred suspension executory, or imposing additional discipline, as appropriate," the proceeding said.
Araujo's probation will begin after he, the ODC and the probation monitor execute a formal probation plan, according to the proceeding .
Araujo was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 6, 1995, according to his profile at the Louisiana State Bar Association's website. No prior discipline was listed on his state bar profile or in a search of Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board's online database.
A search of The Florida Bar's online attorney data base did not turn up an attorney by this name.