A Utah attorney was charged Thursday with felony communications fraud and forgery for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars he owed a client after winning a personal injury case on his behalf.

Attorney Steven B. Smith was charged in 3rd District Court with second-degree felony communications fraud and third-degree felony forgery for spending most of a $412,500 settlement he won against an insurance company in January 2008, charging documents state.

When the injury case was settled, Smith placed the check, payable to Smith and his client, in his own bank account. From January to April of 2008, he "wrote numerous large checks against his trust account, total $405,500.00," charging documents state.

All the while, the client checked in on a regular basis with Smith between 2008 and January 2010, but Smith allegedly told him he was still trying to settle the case, charging documents state.

In January 2010, the client confronted Smith after realizing the insurance company settled in 2008. Smith denied that was the case but then admitted to he had taken the settlement check and spent the money, charging documents state. The client's share of the settlement exceeded $200,000. The client told investigators he never endorsed the settlement check and the signature on the back was not his.

Two Salt Lake City numbers listed under Smith and his law firm were no longer in service.