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A Florida plastic surgeon is accused of killing a missing lawyer after the man vanished on a bathroom break at his law firm, which represents defendants being sued by the alleged killer.
Dr. Tomasz Kosowski, 44, was arrested and charged with the murder of attorney Steven Cozzi on Saturday after the Tampa-based lawyer was last seen Tuesday at his job at Blanchard Law, according to Largo police.
Cozzi’s body has yet to be found, but pools of blood were uncovered in a bathroom at work, according to authorities.
The victim’s wallet, phone and keys were also left behind in the law office, as well as his car in the parking lot.
“During the investigation, there was a strong chemical odor in the men’s bathroom of the office and small drops of blood,” Largo police said in a statement. “A subsequent forensics investigation revealed a significant amount of blood in the same bathroom.”
Jake Blanchard, the firm’s managing partner, told WFLA last week that Cozzi, 41, went to the bathroom during work Tuesday, and hasn’t been seen since.
His boss reported him missing and the office lobby quickly turned into a crime scene.
A suspicious person and car were seen around the law office, and a search of Kosowski’s Tarpon Springs home found evidence that linked him to the murder, police said, though further information was not yet disclosed.
Blanchard Law has been representing Kosowski’s former employer, the Laufer Institute for Plastic Surgery, and co-workers in a lawsuit he lodged against them four years ago and is still dragging on.
The 2019 lawsuit claims the woman who was assigned by the plastic surgery group to handle Kosowski’s insurance billing didn’t file claims and lied to his patients — costing the surgeon tens of thousands of dollars and leading to negative reviews online.
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“Dr. K’s promising young career has essentially been obliterated” by the woman’s actions, Kosowski’s lawsuit contends. “Through no fault of his own, his career was put directly in jeopardy and his reputation has been deeply tarnished.”
He began with the Laufer Institute in 2016 before leaving in 2018 and starting his own practice.
The doctor was in Pinellas County Jail on Sunday on a first-degree murder charge.
He was the class president when he attended the medical school at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, the Tampa Bay Times reported, citing a news release from when he was hired at Laufer.
The news release also reportedly described Kosowski as an “innovative and accomplished plastic surgeon … who understands the art and science of the human body and how to redefine beauty for each and every patient.”
With Post wires
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