Disbarred Bellmore Attorney Arrested Again for Stealing from Clients: District Attorney

A disbarred Bellmore attorney has been arrested again and charged with stealing more than $500,000 from an estate he represented.

Robert Alan Wagner, 63, of Bellmore, was charged with second degree grand larceny. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on Dec. 2. Wagner faces to five to 15 years in prison if convicted.
“This defendant allegedly abused the trust placed in him as an attorney and stole more than $500,000 from the estate of a deceased man,” said District Attorney Madeline Singas. “We will aggressively prosecute this case and seek restitution for the victim.”

Wagner was first arrested and charged with grand larceny in the second degree in September for allegedly stealing more than $400,000 from an estate he represented. At that time, he was released on $200,000 bail with a requirement that he wear a tracking device as well as that he surrender his passport.

In the second incident, Wagner was retained by the administrator of a French estate to facilitate the transfer of money from the decedent’s Suffolk County-based bank accounts to accounts in France in November 2013. Wagner was not authorized to distribute, transfer or use the estate funds. However, the investigation revealed that Wagner allegedly transferred the estate funds into four of his own bank accounts between June 2014 and January 2016, ultimately stealing more than $500,000.

Between May 2014 and April 2015, the French estate administrator repeatedly attempted to contact Wagner to verify the status of the funds transfer. During that time, Wagner allegedly gave false excuses, saying that he was attending to personal and family health issues, on vacation, or awaiting for court approval to transfer funds. He allegedly used the money for personal purposes, including cash withdrawals in excess of $250,000 and payments to support his law practice.

Wagner was legally practicing law when he was retained, but was disbarred by the Appellate Division of the New York State Court of Appeals on March 11, 2015, proximate to the time when he was to facilitate the transfer of estate funds. The disbarment was unrelated to this matter.

Photo: Nassau County District Attorney