3 Yrs. Prison For Stealing $500K From Law Firm Acct.: Nassau DA

Between 2014-2021, Michelle Byrd stole from bank accounts that benefited people with special needs, prosecutors said.

by Jerry Barmash

A Hempstead woman has been sentenced to up to three years in prison for stealing money from a law firm bank accounts, prosecutors said. (Shutterstock)

MINEOLA, NY — A Hempstead woman was sentenced on Friday to one to three years in prison for stealing more than $500,000 from a law firm that was the trustee for bank accounts that benefited people with special needs, prosecutors said.

Michelle Byrd, 55, pleaded guilty on April 29, to one count of second-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Byrd paid restitution to the law firm for $106,287.02 and judgment orders were issued for the benefit of the law firm of $395,266.41 and $25,000 for the law firm’s insurance company, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.

“Michelle Byrd had a duty as a case manager for seven trusts to protect the firm’s vulnerable clients and manage their finances appropriately and carefully to ensure that their needs were met," Donnelly said. "Instead, this defendant acted only in her own self-interest, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from elderly and special needs clients to finance her lifestyle. Her despicable and unconscionable theft forced a wheelchair-bound stroke victim to sell his home because of the financial losses he suffered."

Donnelly said that Byrd worked for a Nassau County-based law firm that manages trusts for special needs clients. An attorney at the firm served as a trustee on trust accounts that supported seven clients and was the authorized signatory permitted to make disbursements and manage the beneficiaries’ bank accounts and transactions. Byrd, a salaried employee, served as a case manager, and was in frequent contact with trust beneficiaries regarding their financial needs, Donnelly said.

From April 2014 to April 2021, Byrd wrote hundreds of checks to herself from seven trust accounts, causing a total loss of approximately $526,553. Byrd forged the signature of the trustee on checks and forged bank statements to conceal the theft, Donnelly said.

"Byrd violated her ethical obligations and the trust of the clients she was supposed to serve and will now forfeit her funds and freedom to pay for her crimes," Donnelly said.

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3 Yrs. Prison For Stealing $500K From Law Firm Acct.: Nassau DA