Disbarred Armonk lawyer indicted on charges she stole $3.5 million from clients
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.
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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
Loretta Cifu-Mangino met DeLitta years ago when her child and DeLitta's sibling were at a recreational program for those with cerebral palsy. They became friends and when Cifu-Mangino and her two siblings were selling their late mother's home in the Bronx she asked DeLitta to represent them. It was for that sale that DeLitta is accused of practicing law without a license.
When the proceeds of the sale weren't turned over, all she got were excuses from DeLitta.
"This affected people wide and far; families are affected by this ," Cifu-Mangino said. "She led me to believe that something had gone wrong with her bank account, that the funds were there. I was just hoping it was as she said but it wasn't."
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.
Mark Goidell, Cifu-Mangino's lawyer who also has another client suing DeLitta, said they have heard countless empty promises that their money would be paid. Both clients have gotten some money from the state Lawyer Fund for Client Protection.
Goidell and other lawyers for DeLitta's clients had complained about the slow pace of the criminal investigation since law enforcement was notified last year. "We're grateful that the District Attorney's Office has taken steps to help make my clients whole and make Ms. DeLitta face the consequences for her criminal actions," Goidell said Wednesday.
Twitter: @jonbandler
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Disbarred lawyer Laurieanne DeLitta indicted in thefts from clients
