TAMPA, Fla. (ABC NEWS)-- Three Florida lawyers are now in serious legal trouble for allegedly using their attractive paralegal to get an opposing attorney drunk and thrown off of a high profile case.
The DUI arrest was caught on camera, showing Phillip Campbell driving, but investigators say he was set up. His rival attorneys allegedly used their paralegal, Melissa Personius, to set a "honey trap". Now, these three lawyers could lose their licenses.
Campbell met Personius at a Tampa restaurant in January 2013. According to investigators, Personius allegedly became overly friendly, socializing and drinking with Campbell, and lied about where she worked. All the while, she was exchanging dozens of text messages and phone calls with her bosses.
One of her bosses allegedly tipped off a police officer who waited to pull Campbell over, busting him for a DUI. Campbell was behind the wheel of the paralegal's car, which he said he was only driving because she was too drunk.
Charges were later dropped, but the Florida bar association is going after the rival lawyers.
Two of the three refused to answer, and the third admitted that while he did not give the order to set Campbell up, he did not do anything to stop it.
The federal government and FBI are involved in this case heavily, and there may be a criminal indictment at some point in the future.
The police officer who arrested Campbell has since been fired.
Melissa Personius is still working for the law firm but not in their Tampa offices.
