Attorney Rita DeSoto of Phoenix, AZ; ethical gremlin

The state of Arizona presented Rita E. DeSoto with a law license in 1988 after she graduate from Suffolk University School of Law.

The Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct found Rita guilty of engaging in the following misconduct.

• Engaged in a pattern of misconduct
• Improperly deposited credit card payments for advance fees into her operating account
• Failed to transfer credit card funds to her trust account
• She then disbursed funds from the trust account in reliance on those deposits creating overdrafts (rubber checks) and negative balances that ultimately resulted in the conversion of other client funds
• Misconduct involved multiple offense
• Failed to maintain general ledgers and perform monthly 3-way reconciliations

As a direct consequence of her misconduct, the apologists for Judicial Misfits sitting on the Judicial Commission punished Rita by gifting her with a complimentary reprimand and assessed investigative costs of $1,200.00. 

And lastly, as one would suspect, Rita fails to mention the misconduct set forth above on her self-serving website at www.desotolawfirm.com. Apparently, she chose to conceal this relevant information from prospective clients for the purpose of not limiting her future victim pool.

As we speak (ca. June 2024), Rita practices her so-called brand of law with the DeSoto Law Firm at 2942 North 24^th Street in Phoenix, Arizona.