Prison time for lawyer accused of stealing $1.9M from PI settlements to 57 clients
A New York personal injury lawyer accused of stealing over $1.9 million from 57 clients was sentenced Tuesday to a 4- to 12-year prison term.
Stephen Krawitz, 63, was originally accused of stealing only $600,000 between November 2008 and March 2014, by depositing settlement checks into his law firm trust account and withdrawing funds for his own use. However, more client thefts were discovered during the investigation of the case, reports Westport Now.
Krawitz pleaded guilty in July to grand larceny and a scheme to defraud.
During Tuesday’s sentencing he gave what the New York Daily News described as “a dry emotionless apology” to an unsympathetic audience of former clients.
“Good people sometimes do bad things,” said Krawitz, eliciting angry laughter from the audience, reports the New York Post.
Although he said he was speaking to admit his wrongdoing, Krawitz also discussed how his crimes had adversely affected his own life—he became suicidal at one point, he said, as he lost his wife and his house and realized that his daughter is no longer speaking to him.
Attorney Robert Briere represents Krawitz and says Krawitz is relieved that former clients are being reimbursed in full by the Lawyers Fund for Client Protection, reports the New York Law Journal (sub. req.).
However, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said one client died of cancer before the funds came through.
The DA said Krawitz attempted to conceal his thefts by keeping quiet when settlements were made to clients and, when he did tell them, underreporting the amount paid. Among the cases Krawitz settled were matters in Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida, where he was not licensed to practice, Vance said.
The Jewish Voice also has a story.
Related coverage:
ABAJournalcom: “Personal injury lawyer is indicted, accused of stealing $600K in client settlements”
