Bloomfield Man, ‘American Gangster’ Lawyer, Avoids Jail Time

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A Bloomfield man who played a central role in the investigation that inspired the blockbuster film “American Gangster” will avoid jail time after stealing $20,000 from clients of his Newark-based law firm, authorities said.

On Sept. 19, Richard Roberts, 81, of Bloomfield, was sentenced to five years of probation and 270 hours of community service in Morris County Superior Court. He was also ordered to pay restitution in “an amount to be determined” for stealing client funds from his firm’s attorney trust account, which he used to make alimony payments, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

Roberts is known for his role in the prosecution of NYC drug kingpin Frank Lucas, an investigation that inspired the 2007 movie, “American Gangster.”

Roberts pleaded guilty on July 23 to third-degree charges of perjury and theft by failure to make required disposition of property received. He permanently forfeited his law license, prosecutors said.

The state had recommended that Roberts be sentenced to up to 364 days in jail.

Roberts was on trial when he decided to plead guilty on the second day of testimony. His former law partner, Gerald M. Saluti Jr., had previously pleaded guilty and was testifying before the jury at the time, prosecutors said.

Saluti, 51, of Howell, was sentenced Sept. 19 to a four-year term of probation, conditioned upon 200 hours of community service. Saluti pleaded guilty on Feb. 21 to a third-degree conspiracy charge. He permanently forfeited his law license and paid restitution of $137,652.

Roberts and Saluti were indicted in an investigation by detectives and attorneys of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability’s (OPIA) North Squad.

The OPIA investigation revealed that from December 2012 through August 2013, Roberts and Saluti conspired to steal funds from the firm’s attorney trust account. In total, just over $140,000 was stolen from four clients. The funds included settlement awards owed to the clients and monies the two men were obligated to hold in escrow or use to make payments on behalf of the clients, prosecutors said.

State prosecutors added:

“In pleading guilty to perjury, Roberts admitted that he falsely told law enforcement and testified under oath that he never authorized the practice administrator for their firm, Gabriel Iannacone, to make his alimony payments. Roberts admitted that, in fact, he did direct Iannacone to make alimony payments for him, and he knew at the time that Ianncone was making the payments from the firm’s attorney trust account.”

Ianncone pleaded guilty in 2017 to a third-degree conspiracy charge in connection with the improper withdrawals and payments from the attorney trust account. He is now deceased, prosecutors said.

Roberts and Saluti were previously suspended from the practice of law in New Jersey. Roberts was suspended in November 2015, and Saluti, in February 2014. In August 2013, the men dissolved their partnership, Roberts & Saluti LLC, which did business as Saluti Law Group, prosecutors said.

“Instead of upholding the law and guarding the interests of their clients, as was their duty as attorneys, Roberts and Saluti stole client funds from their attorney trust account,” Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said. “Through this prosecution by our Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, we held these men accountable and made certain that they will never again practice law in New Jersey.”

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