(The Advertiser) Lafayette attorney Harold D. Register has been disbarred, according to a decision handed down Wednesday by the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Register was arrested for forgery in April, after, Lafayette Parish Deputies say, he signed off on one of his client’s checks worth more than $12,000, then deposited the money into his own account. 

Register was also ordered to pay restitution, including all costs, in the case.

Also in 2017, the the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board recommended a three-year suspension for Register for malpractice in two cases unrelated to his forgery arrest.

In one case, the board found Register personally spent a $10,000 personal injury settlement without releasing any of the money to his client.

In another, a woman who was trying to recover nearly $200,000 in seized cash and property had her case dismissed, because the board found Register failed to show up to a hearing or file a motion on her behalf.

In the early 2000s, the disciplinary board placed Register on probation for “sloppy record keeping” and failing to keep in communication with clients.