By James McNair
The Cincinnati Enquirer

For a man whose legal defense on criminal charges is being footed by U.S. taxpayers, George Fiorini is proving to be choosy about lawyers.

The 54-year-old Miami Township resident faces 80 counts of fraud, money laundering and income tax evasion for his role in what prosecutors say was a Ponzi-style promissory note scheme.

His first court-appointed lawyer, federal public defender Kelly Johnson, resigned in November. Now Fiorini is spouting dissatisfaction with Johnson's replacement, Hal Arenstein, a respected criminal defense lawyer in Cincinnati.

"Mr. Fiorini has not, as of yet, been given competent legal counsel by the court," Fiorini wrote in a filing this week with U.S. District Judge Thomas Rose.

Arenstein has no reservations about parting ways with his client. In a filing of his own, the president of the Greater Cincinnati Criminal Defense Lawyers Association asked Rose to permit him to withdraw from the case. He said Fiorini has never returned a phone call or responded to communications by certified letter.

Arenstein also cited his inability to stop Fiorini from filing pleadings with the court without going through his lawyer. In one such filing, Fiorini suggested that Assistant U.S. Attorney John DiPuccio suffers from "irregularity" and that the condition affects one's mental abilities.

J. Robert Andrews, a Hyde Park lawyer who preceded Arenstein as president of the criminal defense lawyers group, said Fiorini is "very lucky" to be represented by Arenstein at no charge.

Fiorini's trial is scheduled for May 17.

E-mail jmcnair@enquirer.com