An Armonk lawyer who was disbarred over allegations she stole millions from clients by keeping the money from their real estate closings has been indicted on criminal charges.
Laurianne DeLitta, 50, of Briarcliff Manor pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of second-degree grand larceny, accused of stealing $3.5 million from eight clients or their estates between 2017 and this March.
She is also charged with unlawful practice of a profession after she allegedly continued to act as a lawyer despite the disciplinary proceedings against her. She was disbarred in May, seven months after agreeing to resign as a lawyer because she had no defense to the misconduct claims that the grievance committee of the 9th Judicial District was investigating.
One of the six lawsuits against DeLitta alleged that she kept $495,000 from a sale of a Bronx property in late January when she should not have been conducting any real estate transactions based on her agreement.
In some cases, DeLitta was a lawyer for multiple generations of a family and the alleged thefts occurred when she assisted in the sale of the home after her original client had died.
The lawsuits against her detail extensive efforts to get the money from the closings and her empty promises to turn over what the clients were owed. Details of what DeLitta spent their money on was not provided by the Westchester District Attorney's Office but clients and their lawyers have said they were aware that she had a special needs child.
DeLitta could not be reached Wednesday evening. A lawyer representing her, Steven Siegel, called her the "finest" lawyer he had ever worked with and said "major efforts are being undertaken to unwind the escrow issue." He would not elaborate.
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