Evergreen principals allegedly fleeced 2,203 investors in the United States and abroad out of a total $214 million in unregistered mortgage-backed securities. Cuthill hopes to recover a total $53.5 million or about 25% of the missing $214 million.

Cuthill's latest suit names five area defendants, including two lawyers. They are Matthew A. Tavrides of Orlando and David H. Tedder of Longwood.

Tedder is no longer licensed in Florida and California. He formerly represented the Charles J. Givens Jr. organization which has been investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and Florida Attorney General Robert Butterworth for allegedly selling deceptive financial advice in television infomercials.

The other local defendants are Jim Kime, First American Life & Health Co., Winter Park, FL; Shari Larson, 37 N. Orange Ave., Orlando; and Paul DeLauro, 201 E. Pine St., Orlando.

For 10 years, Evergreen owner William J. Zylka of New Vernon, NJ and his associates operated unobtrusively from offices at the Downtown 15-story Capital Plaza I at 201 E. Pine St.

Orlando lawyers Martin W. Boelens Jr. and Robert W. Boyd have each previously been charged with securities, mail and wire fraud. They have agreed to plead guilty in exchange for prison terms of less than 10 years, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. Boelens managed the Evergreen office for the last five years, the suit alleges.

Zylka has previously pleaded guilty to five felony fraud and grand larceny charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 16 in Manhattan's New York State Supreme Court. He faces prison time of six years to 18 years.

The newest suit, like the previously filed complaints, alleges the Evergreen scheme unraveled when Boelens voluntarily placed Evergreen into Chapter 11 protection from creditors under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in January 2001.