PROVIDENCE — A Cranston lawyer who handles real-estate closings has admitted to stealing more than $2.5 million from homeowners who were refinancing or buying new homes, the state’s chief disciplinary counsel said yesterday.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court disbarred lawyer Pasquale A. Scavitti III on Wednesday, less than half an hour after his lawyer disclosed that Scavitti had stolen money from a total of 12 homeowners — in amounts ranging from $80,341 to $490,290, said David D. Curtin, the Supreme Court’s chief disciplinary counsel.

A lawyer representing Scavitti indicated the money was gone but offered no explanation of where it went, Curtin said.

“It’s a lot of money,” said Curtin, a 17-year veteran of the disciplinary counsel’s office. “This is the largest theft by a lawyer I’ve ever seen.”

Scavitti, 46, of Cranston, has not been charged with a crime, his lawyers said. But Curtin said he has contacted the state police and the attorney general’s office, providing them with a package of information about Scavitti.

Scavitti has a personal law practice at 1225 Cranston St. in Cranston and has been practicing law since 1995, Curtin said.

Sean P. Feeney, who is representing Scavitti, confirmed Curtin’s account of their meeting on Wednesday.

“My client is extremely remorseful for what will be inconvenience and what some of his former clients will need to deal with,” he said.

So what happened to the money and why was it taken? “I think it’s too early to comment on that,” Feeney said.

Feeney’s law partner and wife, Eva-Marie Mancuso, said, “My client has been cooperating with the disciplinary counsel and now will cooperate with the Rhode Island State Police when the time is appropriate.”

Curtin explained that in real-estate closings, lawyers who represent lenders hold onto large sums of money and are responsible for disbursing them properly.

On Aug. 6, the Wells Fargo mortgage company filed a complaint about Scavitti’s handling of the closings on a house in Providence and a house in Malden, Mass., Curtin said. For example, Scavitti issued a mortgage payment check for the Malden house but then stopped payment on the check, he said. Scavitti issued a second check but then stopped payment on that check, he said.

Curtin said his office began investigating but realized that similar scenarios had turned up plausible explanations.

But on Aug. 14 Curtin’s office received another complaint about Scavitti. This time, a homeowner complained about Scavitti’s handling of the refinancing of a house in Hanover, Mass., and Curtin said, “At that point, obviously, we became very concerned.”

On Aug. 15, Curtin secured a subpoena that called for Scavitti to appear at his office on Wednesday, Aug. 27, with records regarding those three transactions.

On Wednesday, Feeney came to Curtin’s office with a signed affidavit in which Scavitti consented to disbarment and acknowledged the truth of allegations that Curtin was investigating, Curtin said.

With his client’s permission, Feeney went further, also disclosing that Scavitti had stolen a total of $2,539,851.65, Curtin said.

The money came from 12 homeowners and involved 13 transactions, Curtin said. Most of those homeowners are Rhode Islanders, and most of the transactions involved mortgage refinancing, he said.

Curtin declined to identify the homeowners, saying he had not contacted all of them yet.

“I’m contacting these people and urging them to explore any legal remedies available. I certainly don’t want to see anyone lose their home over this,” Curtin said. “If mortgages are not being paid, a bank could foreclose. That’s the tragedy of this thing. You are talking about some serious harm to these people.”

What legal remedies could the homeowners pursue? Curtin mentioned possibilities such as title insurance, legal malpractice insurance or legal defenses to foreclosure actions. “I’m not saying I know the answers, but these are things they have to explore,” he said.

How long has Scavitti been doing this? “From what I understand, he has been taking money for quite some time,” Curtin said. “But he was able to cover it up by robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Where is the money now? “I’m told it’s gone,” Curtin said. “There’s no explanation other than it’s gone. I’m sure over time we’ll get close to what happened.”

He said, “I intend to try to track that money and see if there is any way to recover it.”

In the order it issued on Wednesday, the Supreme Court said Scavitti was “disbarred on consent from engaging in the practice of law.” The court appointed Curtin to take possession of Scavitti’s client files and “take whatever steps are necessary to protect the client’s interests.” The court also ordered Curtin to take possession of Scavitti’s “client and business accounts and any funds on deposit in those accounts.”

Curtin said he does not expect to find a substantial amount of money in those accounts. He said he and an investigator from his office went to Scavitti’s law office on Thursday and removed client files. He said Scavitti was there and was cooperative. “He certainly wasn’t surprised to see me,” he said.

Curtin urged “anyone else who may have been a victim of Mr. Scavitti” to call his office at (401) 222-3270. Also, he mentioned that the Rhode Island Bar Association has a fund to reimburse clients when lawyers have stolen from them.

efitzpat@projo.com