A personal injury lawyer was arrested on allegations of stealing nearly GBP 700,000 from his clients and spending the money on drugs and the adult content platform OnlyFans.

Christopher Michael Reynolds, 44, accused of defrauding 16 clients out of settlement funds, was arrested by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on 27th February.

Reynolds, who owns a private practice in the city of Seminole, in the US state of Florida, primarily represented clients involved in vehicle crashes.

According to officials, Reynolds would send forged settlement documents to insurance companies, then put all the money meant for his clients directly into his pockets.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said in a press conference: “He agreed to represent them in a personal injury case, he referred them to doctors, he sent monetary demand packages to insurance companies, forged clients’ names on settlement documents, and pocketed all the settlement money, leaving people with no compensation for their injuries and holding the bag for all of their medical bills.”

Detectives began investigating Reynolds last October after receiving a complaint from one of his victims, who said he suddenly ended all communication with her.

They discovered that the USD 100,000 (GBP 82,800) she was supposed to receive in medical bills ended up being pocketed by Reynolds, who allegedly forged her signature on the documents.

Investigators found Reynolds’ schemes went back all the way to 2018 and he had defrauded at least 15 other clients, stealing over USD 840,000 (GBP 690,000).

It is believed Reynolds used the money to buy drugs and pornography.

A search of his financial records revealed he spent a whopping USD 30,000 (GBP 24,800) on the subscription-based adult content website OnlyFans.

Reynolds was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on 27th February and is being held on a combined bond of USD 395,000 (GBP 327,360).

Officials say he is facing up to 13 counts of grand theft and two counts of money laundering.