A man who worked as a lawyer despite having his professional registration canceled was arrested after defending himself in a virtual hearing at the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG). His participation caught the attention of a judge, who researched his history and discovered irregularities.
Antônio Carlos Cabral Coelho has been in prison since August 28 and was indicted by the Civil Police for procedural fraud, embezzlement and irregular practice of his profession.
According to the TJMG Internal Affairs Department, his name appears as a representative in more than 2,300 processes. Irregular action can lead to the annulment of already concluded cases and cause losses to clients.
See, point by point, what is known and what still remains to be clarified about the case:
Who is the man being investigated?
How was the case discovered?
What irregularities were identified?
In how many processes does his name appear?
How did he continue to access justice systems?
Can processes be annulled?
How to check the status of a lawyer?
What remains to be clarified?
Who is the man being investigated?
Antônio Carlos Cabral Coelho worked as a lawyer despite having his registration with the OAB of Minas Gerais canceled since 2020.
According to the president of the OAB-MG Ethics Court, Donaldo José de Almeida, he faces more than 20 disciplinary proceedings.
Antônio Carlos had also been convicted of misappropriating more than R$5,000 from a client. It was when he defended himself in this case that his irregular actions began to be discovered.
Antônio Carlos Cabral Coelho was indicted by the Civil Police for procedural fraud, embezzlement and irregular exercise of the profession.
How was the case discovered?
Antônio Carlos participated in a TJMG virtual hearing during the trial of a request for criminal review of the conviction for embezzlement.
The situation caught the attention of judge Eduardo Machado, from the court's 3rd Group of Criminal Chambers, who decided to research his history.
"It is frowned upon for a lawyer to appear before almost 15 judges giving oral arguments in a case in which he had already been convicted of misappropriation of client money. Is this normal? I don't think so", asked the judge.
What irregularities were identified?
The research carried out by the judge showed that Antônio Carlos' registration with the OAB-MG had been cancelled.
He also used a supplementary registration from the OAB of São Paulo that was suspended. In other cases, he even used the registration number of a third lawyer, from the Federal District.
In how many processes does his name appear?
The TJMG Internal Affairs Division found that the name of Antônio Carlos appears as a representative in more than 2,300 processes.
The available information does not clarify how many of these cases he was involved in after the registration was canceled in 2020.
How did he continue to access justice systems?
Even with the registration cancelled, Antônio Carlos continued to access the court systems, used to present petitions and sign documents.
According to the president of the OAB-MG Ethics Court, TJMG was notified about the cancellation of registration in 2020.
"When there is any disciplinary process against any lawyer, the OAB informs the Court, and the Court takes the appropriate measures. Only the Court can suspend the password", explained Almeida.
It remains to be clarified why access remained available after the communication.
Can processes be annulled?
Irregular action can lead to the annulment and reopening of already concluded cases, with possible losses to the clients who hired Antônio Carlos.
The available information does not indicate which processes may be affected or whether any cancellation has already been determined.
How to check the status of a lawyer?
Judge Eduardo Machado's recommendation is to consult the professional's situation before hiring him.
According to him, the query can be made on the OAB-MG website, by name or registration number.
"You enter the name or number of the OAB and the system shows the status. It will immediately show whether it is inactive or suspended. Nowadays, it is a simple query", he advised.
What remains to be clarified?
There are still a lack of answers as to why Antônio Carlos continued to access the Justice systems after canceling his registration and communicating with the TJMG.
It is also necessary to clarify how many processes were irregular, which ones may be affected and how many customers suffered losses.
