A West Palm Beach, Fla., attorney was arrested for allegedly stealing nearly $500,000 in insurance claims settlements from three of his clients, including a widower whose wife died in an airplane crash.

Alexander Clark Cone, 54, faces charges of first-degree grand theft and continuing criminal enterprise, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services, which regulates insurance in the state. That department is conducting a joint investigation with the Florida Bar Association.

Cone has been disbarred for misappropriation of funds and unethical practices and cannot practice law in Florida, according to the department.

Investigators with the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud, part of the financial services division, discovered Cone was depositing settlement money he received on behalf of his clients into his trust account and then into his personal account. After the Florida Bar subpoenaed Cone’s bank records and audited his accounts, they notified investigators with the fraud unit.

Sworn affidavits were obtained from Cone’s alleged victims, including a couple involved in an auto accident in 2006. Cone settled the case for the couple and sent them a closing letter to sign along with a check for $500,000. The former attorney requested the couple endorse the check and send it back to him. In return, he sent the couple $20,000 from the settlement.

In another case, a man sought representation from Cone regarding the death of his wife in an airplane crash. Cone’s former paralegal told investigators that her former boss forged the man’s signature on legal documents. The man later discovered that Cone settled the claim for $100,000 without the man’s knowledge and did not forward any money from the settlement.

Florida CFO Alex Sink said in a statement that the fact an attorney would steal from those he was hired to represent “reprehensible.”

If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison, investigative costs and restitution payments to victims.