A disbarred lawyer is being indicted for allegedly making over $1 million in a scam that targeted an investor, potential home buyers, and a title insurance company.
According to the prosecutors, Domenick Crispino of Staten Island was arraigned in a Brooklyn Supreme Court last Wednesday and was charged with second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, practicing law without a license, and others.
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said that Crispino has been falsely claiming that he is still a licensed attorney to be able to do the scams. "This defendant allegedly concocted elaborate schemes to defraud, in which he stole money from acquaintances and strangers, falsely claimed to be an attorney when it suited his schemes, and filed numerous forged documents with public agencies," said Thompson. "We've put an end to these fraudulent acts and will now fully prosecute him for committing such fraud," added the district attorney.
In a report by Bensonhurst Bean, Crispino allegedly engaged in several schemes to enrich himself from two private homes between Feb. 15, 2011 and June 29 of this year. The private homes are in 35 Bay 7th Street in Bath Beach and 1848 West 7th Street in Gravesend, and both are subjected to foreclosure actions.
Crispino pleaded not guilty to a 21-count indictment and is now being held on $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash bail. He will be facing up to 15 years of imprisonment if proven to be guilty.
Crispino was disbarred in 1999 due to the allegations that he and a partner stole over $2 million from 14 clients.
According to the news from New York Times, Crispino was accused of stealing money he was supposed to give to 12 clients who had won personal injury settlements and to two who had received annuities from a dead family member's life insurance.
Charges filed against Crispino back then included grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and forgery.
