Legal troubles mount for disgraced SA attorney

Tamer Morsi, 46, charged in connection with forgery of client's insurance check

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio attorney forced to surrender his law license late last year has failed to pay back his victims, multiple former clients confirmed to the KSAT 12 Defenders.

Tamer Morsi, 46, was told to return unearned money, paperwork and possessions to clients as part of a Texas Supreme Court order issued in November.

Records compiled by the Defenders show that Morsi owes his former clients more than $88,000, including nearly $54,000 to a single client.

However, two clients who spoke on the condition of anonymity said they have yet to receive any money from Morsi.

"Probably not even an hour's work. All you had to do was hit a button on a computer. That was it," said one former client, who asked that we call her "Kim." 

After hiring Morsi in 2016 to represent her in a divorce and paying him a $2,800 retainer, Kim said she started to second-guess her decision to retain him as counsel.

She said each meeting with Morsi took place in a different location.

"He never had, like, a brick-and-mortar building," Kim said.

Kim provided the Defenders letters and text messages sent to Morsi in 2017 outlining her frustration with his lack of movement in her case.

The correspondence details how Kim's then-husband had episodes of erratic behavior and that the dragged-out case was making him "antsy."

Kim said her then-husband eventually canceled his promise to pay for her health insurance and provide a monthly stipend post-divorce.

Morsi, after months of delays, finally wrote a draft of the divorce decree but accidentally emailed it to a woman in California.

Kim contacted the State Bar of Texas and hired another attorney to finalize her divorce.

Asked if Morsi has so far returned her retainer money, Kim said, "I've gotten zero. It's a hard lesson learned and, yeah, it's a warning out there for others."

$13,000, no cases filed

A second former client of Morsi, who asked that we use her initials, L.P., provided the Defenders financial records showing that she paid Morsi a total of $13,000 to represent her in two federal lawsuits against the government.

However, L.P. learned in late May that Morsi had not even filed the cases.

The revelation came weeks after Morsi finally conceded to L.P. that he was no longer practicing law.

Records provided by L.P. show that Morsi accepted his final check from her 10 days before the state bar decided his license should be suspended.

L.P. filed a felony theft complaint against Morsi on June 1, according to records provided by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

Forgery of the elderly

Morsi was indicted on felony charges in October in connection to his handling of a third client.

According to a true bill of indictment, Morsi in December 2016 took control of a check from Nationwide Insurance for $9,250 made out to him and an elderly client and recklessly misapplied it.

He now faces three counts of forgery of the elderly.

Morsi was ordered to pay back the woman the full amount, as part of the Texas Supreme Court's order.

He is free on bond in the case, according to court records.

Morsi was arrested in an unrelated misdemeanor family violence case in late March.

In that case, which is also pending, Morsi is accused of striking a woman and grabbing her with his hand, according to court records.

Morsi declined to comment on his legal and professional woes following a court appearance in the family violence case last month.

He walked down four flights of stairs and out of the Bexar County Justice Center without responding to repeated questions from the Defenders.

State records show the bar originally agreed in May 2018 to give Morsi a partially probated suspension.

As part of the agreement, Morsi's license would be suspended for two years, but all but three months would be set aside.

The original agreement required Morsi to pay back a single victim $2,500.

However, in the Texas Supreme Court order issued six months later, five additional victims had been added. 


About the Authors:

Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year.

Joshua Saunders is an Emmy-nominated photographer/editor who has worked in the San Antonio market for the past 20 years. Joshua works in the Defenders unit, covering crime and corruption throughout the city.