NEW ORLEANS — Baton Rouge attorneys Victor Roy Loraso III, who was sentenced on child pornography charges earlier this month, and Shannon Jay Thomas have been voluntarily suspended following separate and recent Louisiana Supreme Court orders.
In its single-page order issued March 25 against Loraso, the state Supreme Court approved the petition for interim suspension filed by the office of disciplinary counsel, which informed the court that Loraso had agreed to the indefinite suspension. The suspension order was immediate and until further court order.
The court also ordered that the "necessary disciplinary proceedings" be instituted.
Victor Roy Loraso III in 2017 following his arrest on child pornography charges
| ag.state.la.us
Loraso, 38, was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on Oct. 18, 2007, according to his profile at the state bar's website.
Loraso was sentenced earlier this month by state Judge Martin Coady at the parish courthouse in Covington to about 20 years in prison after the attorney pleaded guilty to 26 child pornography charges, according to a local news report that cited information from the North Shore district attorney's office.
Loraso was arrested and booked at the St. Tammany Parish jail in October 2017 on three counts of distribution of sexual abuse images/videos of children under the age of 13, according to a news release issued by Attorney General Jeff Landry's office. Loraso's arrest followed a joint investigation by state and federal authorities, according to the news release.
In a separate matter, the state Supreme Court accepted the petition for consent discipline reached between Thomas and the office of disciplinary counsel and suspended the attorney for a year and a day, according to the court's single-page March 18 attorney disciplinary proceeding. The suspension was made retroactive to the Dec. 20, 2018, start date of his interim suspension.
The high court also ordered Thomas to pay all costs and expenses plus interest.
The office of disciplinary counsel filed formal charges against Thomas following his arrest on a simple battery charge, according to the high court's disciplinary proceeding.
Thomas was admitted to the bar in Louisiana on April 9, 1998, according to his profile at the state bar's website. A search of Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board's website turned up no prior record of discipline for Thomas.
The court placed Thomas on voluntary interim suspension pending further court order in December.