Ridgefield Man to Serve Longer Sentence for Continuing to Steal from Clients After Arrest

A Ridgefield man who stole nearly $3 million from a non-profit and from his clients will serve a longer prison sentence for continuing to steal money from his clients after pleading guilty to charges of grand larceny in February.

According to the New York Attorney General, Timothy Griffin, a real estate attorney based in Bronxville, New York pleaded guilty in February to stealing over $2 million from United Hebrew Cemetery, where he served as acting president in exchange for a promised sentence of three to nine years in prison. However, an ongoing investigation by the Attorney General’s Office revealed that, after his arrest, Griffin continued to steal client monies, diverting over $175,000 from a client escrow account.

Griffin had been serving a six-month prison sentence since March on separate charges of federal tax-fraud in Connecticut.

Griffin stole from United Hebrew Cemetery to cover up his theft of more than $1 million from his legal clients between April 2009 and February 2014, according to the Attorney General. In September 2014, Griffin was separately charged by the Attorney General in New Rochelle City Court with multiple counts of felony Grand Larceny for the thefts from his clients.

After being charged in both Richmond and Westchester Counties, Griffin continued to steal client monies. Griffin was re-arrested on April 22 by the Attorney General’s Office on additional charges of Grand Larceny and arraigned in New Rochelle City Court in Westchester County.

“This defendant stole from the clients of his law practice, and then stole millions from a charity in an attempt to disguise that theft,” Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a press release. “Even after being charged, he continued to abuse the trust of his clients by stealing additional client funds. This sentence sends a strong message that my office has zero tolerance for anyone who abuses the public trust – especially repeat offenders.”

Griffin was sentenced on April 28 in Richmond County Supreme Court to 4 1/3 to 13 years, to run consecutive to his six-month federal sentence, and also signed a confession of judgment in favor of United Hebrew Cemetery in the amount of $1,771,488.

He will also be sentenced on the charges against him in Westchester County. Griffin will appear in Westchester Supreme Court on May 8.

Image via Shutterstock

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