EXCLUSIVE: Alleged Florida Ponzi Scheme Victim Speaks Out

Scott Rothstein's suspected Ponzi scheme that lawyers involved in the case have estimated to have lost hundreds of millions of dollars has been called a "tragedy" by one investor who says he is at risk for tens of millions of dollars. The scandal has sent lawyers, investors, and politicians alike in a tizzy while investigators are scrambling to learn exactly how much money has been lost.

Scott Rothstein, a Fort Lauderdale attorney, poses for portrait at his office on Las Olas Boulevard, surrounded by sports memorabilia.

(Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/MCT)

Rothstein, a partner of the law firm Rothstein Rosefeldt and Adler, is suspected of running a covert investment scheme on the side and may have walked away with "substantial sums'' put up by investors, according to a lawsuit brought by his partner, Stuart Rosenfeldt.

Rothstein attracted investors by promising huge returns and selling settlements he said he had reached, but at least some of those settlements did not exist, according to Rosenfeldt's suit.

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"This is a terrible tragedy for the entire community," George Levin, who says he was a major investor in the Rothstein's settlement business and fears he is one of the biggest losers in the alleged Ponzi scheme, said through the family's spokesman Don Silver of Boardroom Communications.

Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. Attorney who is representing Rothstein, said he is dealing with a "dizzying" array of issues related to Rothstein. "This is breaking news for everybody."

Rothstein was a major contributor to the Republican Party and to multiple charities around South Florida, and a regular in the society pages of local newspapers.

Referring to lawyers, politicos, clients, investors and others that could be affected, Coffey added: "When something like this blows up, the shrapnel lands in a lot of places."