Disbarred Morris County Lawyer Stole $75K From Real Estate Sale: Prosecutor

A former attorney with a firm in Flanders who was suspended from practicing law in 2012 has been charged with stealing $75,000 from a property seller while using a false name and forging signatures, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp announced.

Neil Gross, 47, of Livingston, was charged Friday for allegedly using the name of another attorney in a real estate closing in 2013 when he was suspended from practicing law, Knapp said.

Gross, a former partner with Ward & Gross in Flanders, was suspended in October 2012 and subsequently disbarred in 2014 for a series of violations of professional conduct.

During the 2013 closing, Gross allegedly held more than $75,000 in a trust account but never disbursed it to the seller of the property, Knapp said. He then diverted the funds to his personal bank accounts, and in doing so, forged the name of another attorney, Knapp said.

Gross was charged with theft, identity theft, forgery, and unauthorized practice of law. He was released on his own recognizance and given a court date.