A lawyer from Jacksonville got arrested on Wednesday for allegedly trying to convince his client’s wife to lie in court. This was to help protect his client, who was also involved in a murder case from 2021.
The lawyer, Nah-Deh Simmons, is now facing charges of conspiracy to commit perjury and solicitation to commit perjury.
According to the arrest warrant, Simmons met the co-defendant in jail “on at least six occasions without the consent or knowledge of” the woman’s counsel.
“Simmons never officially ‘signed in’ to see for any of these jail visits,” the warrant says. “Instead, Simmons would sign in to see another client and while in the jail, Simmons would go to floor to meet with her.”
According to the warrant, Simmons mocked the woman’s lawyer, Matt Lufrano, saying her that Lufrano “was working with the State [prosecutors], and that [she] should not trust him.”
“After [she] provided Simmons with her truthful statement regarding the facts of the murder, Simmons told [her] “This is not good’ and ‘We can’t go with that.’ Simmons told [her] “The truth will get you a conviction.”‘
The lady agreed to wear a recording device for her next two meetings with Simmons, on June 7, 2022, and July 27, 2023. Much of what was said in those talks is kept secret.
Simmons was previously stopped from practicing law for 90 days by the Florida Supreme Court. This happened because of two complaints filed in 2021.
These complaints came from 10 judges and clients who were unhappy with his lack of skill, honesty, and poor communication.
This included not explaining legal matters to clients, not moving cases along quickly, and sometimes not showing up for court dates as planned.
Simmons didn’t respond right away to an email, and trying to call him didn’t work. He was allowed to go free while waiting for his first court appearance.
