Articles Posted in In the News

Some people should just keep white collar criminal defense attorneys on retainer. It seems that at least once every week or two, someone is arrested or indicted for Grand Larceny. While an arrest or an indictment certainly is not evidence of guilt, accusations of “sticky fingers” seems to be all the rage right now. Fortunately for the clients of Saland Law PC, top Manhattan based white collar criminal defense lawyers, our clients accused of these crimes have utilized our experience and knowledge to get tremendous results. In fact, in the past year each one of them has avoided jail and in some cases criminal records altogether for alleged thefts ranging from $20,000 to the tens of millions of dollars. As former Manhattan Assistant District Attorneys under Robert Morgenthau, we know how prosecutors build, investigate and prosecute these cases. Hopefully for Ms. Diana Lucretia Montague-Griffin’s sake, she retains a criminal defense attorney who can keep her from spending from up to the next 25 years in state prison.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Ms. Montague-Griffin worked at Arcadia Investment Partners, a Manhattan-based private investment firm. While working as the office manager, Ms. Montague-Griffin allegedly made unauthorized wire transfers and forged signatures on checks totaling $1.7 million. From about January 2006 through December 2008, it is alleged that Ms. Montague-Griffin withdrew approximately $375,000 in cash, spent $250,000 to renovate her home and $59,000 for an in-ground pool. It is further alleged that Ms. Montague-Griffin spent thousands of dollars each month on personal items such as hair and skin products, dental care, dining and clothes. Her alleged spending of the firm’s money included other purchases at department stores and online including Nordstrom, Macys, QVC, Amazon.com, Target, JC Penny, and Wal-Mart. It is nor clear how much, if any, of the money is still in Ms. Montague-Griffin’s possession.

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Robin Katz, the financial analyst at Chase Bank who was arrested for siphoning over $100,000 from a client, may have used a fake ATM card to perpetrate her alleged crime. As a NY criminal defense attorney at Saland Law PC who has had tremendous results representing clients in white collar crimes and as a former Manhattan prosecutor who spent years assigned to the Identity Theft Major Case Unit, it is clear that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. While that is not an assertion that more allegations will be made against Ms. Katz, it is likely that law enforcement has not released to the public or discovered all of the ways in which this crime was allegedly perpetrated.

A review of the charges against Ms. Katz reveals that she is currently charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree as well as Identity Theft in the First Degree. However, if the facts come out as the media has portrayed, I expect that Ms. Katz could be charged with additional crimes. For example, if the ATM card has been recovered or there is evidence that she wrongfully created it, she could be charged with Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree for physically having it or Forgery in the Second for creating it. Additionally, if she altered Chase records or deleted records to cover up her alleged theft, then prosecutors could charge Ms. Katz with Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree as well. Although Grand Larceny in the Second Degree is the most serious of the offenses and punishable by up to fifteen years in state prison, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and Forgery in the Second Degrees are punishable by up to seven years in prison while Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree is punishable by up to four years in prison. Regardless of the amount of time she faces, I expect that her time in Rikers and $50,000 bail has made it overwhelmingly clear that any jail time is devastating.

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The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has painted a very bad picture of Lawrence Salander, Leigh Morse and the Salander O’Reilly Galleries after they obtained a second indictment in connection with Mr. Salander’s alleged theft from and defrauding of the estates of numerous artists.

As I previously noted in the first two blog entries, Mr. Salander has already been arrested and indicted in connection to an 88 million dollar fraud. This second offense involves the alleged theft of an additional 5 million dollars from numerous estates. These estates had given their works of art to Mr. Salander and his gallery so that they could be sold or exhibited.

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Saland Law PC has learned that Lawrence Salander, the famous owner of a well know art gallery in Manhattan that was recently closed, faces new charges in association with an 88 million dollar fraud scheme. A Manhattan Grand Jury has already indicted Mr. Salander for Grand Larceny in the First Degree, Securities Fraud, Falsifying Business Records, Forgery and Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument. Although it is unclear whether the new indictment is for separate and distinct crimes or for activities associated with the first indictment, Mr. Salander faces up to twenty five years in the first case. He is due back in Manhattan Supreme Court before Judge Obus on July 31, 2009.

The former Manhattan prosecutors and New York criminal defense attorneys at Saland Law PC will keep you informed as we learn more.

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The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced last month the arrest and indictment of Marc A. Bernstein for Grand Larceny in the Second Degree as well a other charges for an alleged scheme where he stole over $600,000 from client escrow accounts. Well, unfortunately for Mr. Bernstein, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced once again that he had been re-arrested (he was out of custody on $250,000 bail) and charged with multiple counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree for stealing $1,500,000 from five clients’ escrow accounts. In total, the alleged theft is approximately $2,200,000.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office:

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It seems like every day you open the newspaper some crew or group of individuals is either being arrested, investigated or indicted for Enterprise Corruption in New York City. Well, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced the indictment of 12 people and 9 corporations for Enterprise Corruption and other crimes. According to the Attorney General “The Levy Enterprise” paid hospital employees for confidential patient information, lured patients into receiving unnecessary treatment, and then submitted over a million dollars in phony personal injury claims to insurance carriers.

The 147 count indictment unsealed yesterday charges Daniel Levy, Dr. Hoi Yat Kam, Alex Levy, Desmond Connell, Daniel G. Madrid, Ronald J. Schwartz, Dr. Salvatore Lentini, Yan Yan Yu, Dr. Haroutyoun Tiikranian, Lai Fan Xue, Cheng He, and Dr. Aleksandra Gashinskaya, in varying capacities with Enterprise Corruption, Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, Money Laundering in the Second Degree, Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree, Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree and other charges. These men and women, some of whom are doctors and lawyers, face not only the potential sentence of 25 years in prison on the Enterprise Corruption and 4 years on the “lesser” charge of Falsifying Business Records, but also face the real risk of being disbarred from their particular practice areas. Mary Jimenez and Lloyd Modeste, both hospital employees, were charged with Bribe Receiving on a separate complaint, but do not appear to have been indicted by the Grand Jury.

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Saland Law PC a top white collar criminal defense firm, has learned that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has announced the indictment of thirteen individuals and a mortgage company in connection to a mortgage fraud scheme allegedly perpetrated in the New York City region over the past four years. Charged with Enterprise Corruption (PL 460.20), Grand Larceny in the First and Second Degrees (PL 155.42 and PL 155.40), Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (PL 190.65) and Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree (PL 105.05), it is alleged that:

AFG Financial Group, Eugene Culbreath, Eric Shields, Matthew McDermott, Marc Zirogiannis, Kenneth Law, Kathleen Scanlon, Jerry Strklja, Marilyn Mateo, Darlita Bostic, Allyson Hinds, and Rajmohan Autar, in varying roles, “…located distressed residential real estate properties in New York City and surrounding counties. They then engaged in a fraudulent scheme to steal millions of dollars from lending banks in Manhattan and elsewhere using sham sales of those properties. The conspirators caused the banks to front millions of dollars to finance purchases of the properties. They then walked away with most of the cash, leaving behind over-valued properties and worthless mortgage papers.” The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office further claims that recruiters found straw buyers who would be paid to enter into a real estate transaction where they were informed that the true homeowner would benefit from they service. Moreover, the straw buyers were told they would receive further compensation. After the mortgages and transactions were completed, the straw buyers did not receive any compensation and were left with possession of the mortgages which they could not pay. As a result, not only did the straw buyers lose money, but their credit went drastically south.

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Elizabeth Crotty, an attorney at the New York City and Manhattan based white collar criminal defense firm Saland Law PC, was interviewed earlier today for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. As a former Manhattan prosecutor and a white collar criminal defense lawyer in New York, Ms. Crotty explained where she believed the Madoff case was heading after the sentencing of Mr. Madoff. Specifically, Ms. Crotty was asked about future indictments of other participants in Mr. Madoff’s ponzi scheme. While Ms. Crotty is certainly not privy to the United State’s Attorney’s investigation, Ms. Crotty explained that assuming there are future indictments we should not expect to see those indictments for at least another six months. Ms. Crotty further stated that due to the magnitude of the case and the investigation, prosecutors still likely have many stones to overturn and a significant amount of work ahead of them to pursue other potential conspirators.

If you or a loved one is in need of legal representation and a criminal defense attorney for a white collar crime, contact the former Manhattan prosecutors at Saland Law PC. Whatever your best defense may be, Jeremy Saland and Elizabeth Crotty will take the time to address your concerns, explain the legal process and implement what is needed to zealously defend your liberty, integrity and future.