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The Florida Supreme Court approved a one-year suspension for a New Jersey-based attorney and real estate developer this week who pled guilty to smuggling a $1.6 million painting out of his house in 2013 to avoid an asset sale.

John M. Mavroudis was already suspended for one year in New Jersey last July for the scheme. He pled guilty to the Florida ethics case as a reciprocal discipline and consented to the second suspension on May 15.

Atty $1.6M Painting Lawsuit : Smuggling the $1.6M Painting

Mavroudis admitted in the plea that he gave the painting, "Effet de soleil a Saint Honorat" by Francis Picabia, to Sotheby's to have auctioned off while facing a $2.5 million judgment against him in New Jersey state court. When confronted about the auction, Mavroudis told the New Jersey state court that he had not read the list of items he was not supposed to remove from his house, but he later admitted that was a lie.

The painting, which Mavroudis bought in 1980 for $80,000, sold at auction for $1.6 million, which was deposited with the Bergen County Court clerk's office.

Admitting to Lies and Misconduct

Mavroudis also admitted to lying to the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics, claiming he planned to remove the painting from his house only temporarily to have photos made of it for a reproduction. Additionally, he admitted lying to adversaries in the $2.5 million civil case that he had no artwork worth more than $5,000 in his house.

Mavroudis' second suspension goes into effect immediately, per the Florida court order signed May 30, and he must pay the court $1,250.

Atty $1.6M Painting Lawsuit : Ongoing Malpractice Litigation

Mavroudis is also currently locked in malpractice litigation in New Jersey state court with Chaitman LLP. Chaitman has accused him of offering bad advice on a botched client matter that resulted in the firm being hit with malpractice claims from its former clients, even though Mavroudis was never formally retained in the case. He moved for summary judgment on those claims early in May, calling them a "hare-brained" plan to hold him liable even though he had minimal involvement in the case.

Responses and Representation

Mavroudis did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. A representative for the Florida Bar declined to comment.

Mavroudis represented himself. The Florida Bar is represented in-house by Lauren Michelle Williams.