Attorney Accused of Stealing From Client’s Estates

Hired to oversee the estates of deceased loved ones, Robert DePalma, 53, is now accused of stealing $700,000 by Queens County District Attorney Richard A. Brown. 

DePalma, who has a law office in St. George and is a former prosecutor at the Staten Island District Attorney’s Office, was charged with second-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud during his arraignment in criminal court. 

According to the charges, one of DePalma’s clients sold a home for $274,00 but never saw the proceeds.  Another client was scammed out of $150,000 following the sale of their deceased mother’s Staten Island property.  DePalma also told another client that proceeds from a real estate sale was being held in escrow, when in reality it was deposited into his bank account.

“The defendant is accused of breaching his fiduciary duty and unjustly enriching himself at the expense of his clients.  Such allegations cannot go unpunished.”  If convicted, DePalma faces up to fifteen years in prison. 

See Mira Wassef, Staten Island Attorney Accused of Embezzling $700,000 From His Clients, SI Live, Dec. 26, 2014.