Disbarred Attorney Frank Catania Targets Luis Ruelas Amid Drama With Joe Gorga

Disbarred Attorney Frank Catania Targets Luis Ruelas Amid Drama With Joe Gorga

Disbarred attorney, Frank Catania, is setting his sights on Luis Ruelas amid the ongoing drama with Joe Gorga.

Frank Catania is speaking out about his son, Frankie, losing his job at Luis Ruelas’ business. 

Dolores Catania’s ex-husband claimed that Luis Ruelas suddenly “closed down” his company and ignored his son’s calls with no explanation, in an unseen clip that aired during part two of Tuesday’s Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion.

“He didn’t tell Frankie,” Frank told Joe Gorga, in the newly released footage. “Frankie was reaching out and called me and said, ‘Dad, what do I do? I’ve been calling Louie and he won’t respond.’”

Joe Gorga asked why Luis Ruelas did not give his son a warning, to which Frank replied — “That’s the only thing I got a problem with.”

Frank addressed his own issues with Luis Ruelas before the husbands joined their wives on the reunion stage for Part 3 of the series, which airs next week. 

“Normally, I keep my mouth shut. Not today,” he told Gorga, Joe Benigno and John Fuda before taking his spot on the lavish reunion set.

He added — “Guys, you know as well as I do, I would never chime in. I’d never jump in on the bandwagon, but the fact that he f–cked me this year for no reason, and I did nothing but try to help him.”

Frank also blamed Ruelas, who wed Teresa Giudice in August of last year, for sparking conflicts within the cast. 

“There have been such angry, angry arguments in this show, and it has never, ever gotten to the point it has gotten to right now,” he pointed out. “And the only thing different is Luis.”

Fans know that this isn’t the first time that Ruelas’ business practices have taken a hit. 

Luis’ company, Digital Media Solutions, was named in a harassment lawsuit last month, for purportedly providing a woman’s phone number as a possible marketing lead. 

Joe Gorga slammed his future brother-in-law in an episode that aired in March, for supposedly ripping him off in a failed pizza oven business venture. 

“It got very ugly,” he said. “You can do business with anyone if you go in with the trust and you’re not looking to cheat somebody.”

Teresa defended her husband’s behavior, claiming that her brother was demanding 50 percent of the profits even though Luis put up “all the money.”

Frank Catania’s credibility is questionable as the former attorney was disbarred in 2017 after he stole funds from clients he was entrusted to protect per Supreme Court of New Jersey records.Disbarment refers to the revocation or suspension of an attorney’s license to practice law.

Frank Catania, after being admitted to the bar on June 6, 1991, primarily specialized in real estate deals and was involved in a substantial number of closings.

In 2010, Frank Catania represented a couple and the husband’s mother in a real estate deal that involved obtaining a grant from the state due to the property’s location. As part of the purchase agreement, the couple agreed to buy the home but later found out that they needed tile insurance, which required $190,000 to be placed in an escrow account for payment security.

During the closing process, Wells Fargo Bank wired a sum of $287,212.80 to Frank Catania’s trust account, which he then credited to his client. Frank was suppose to act as a trusted intermediary in handling the funds for the transaction.

During this period, the $190,000 payment was held in a trust account. As part of the real estate transaction, it was customary for such funds to be placed in a trust account, which acts as a secure holding place for money involved in the transaction. The trust account ensures that the funds are properly managed and safeguarded until they are disbursed according to the terms of the agreement.

In December 2010, Frank proceeded to write a check from the trust account, using funds from it, to the account named Cattino Fitness for the amount of $150,000.

“The memo line contained the notation, ‘[client’s name contribution],’ and [Frank] recorded the disbursement on the [redacted] client ledger card,” the documents said, noting that Cattino Fitness was owned by Anthony Rottino, who had no connection to the house sale and “the purpose of the $15,000 disbursement was to cover the gym’s payroll.”

Merely days later, Frank issued another check from the trust account, this time directed towards a law firm, as payment for legal fees. However, these legal services were not related to the real estate sale itself. Instead, they were associated with a separate business venture involving a Harley Davidson enterprise jointly owned by Frank and Rottino.

After a lengthy investigation conducted by the state, Frank Catania’s lies and illegal theft were discovered and he was ultimately stripped of his law license and faced trial. 

 

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