Former Melville Attorney Sentenced To Jail For Stealing Client Funds: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A former Melville attorney was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 5 years of probation after stealing money that was supposed to be used to pay off a client’s loan during a real estate transaction, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Michael Tulchiner, 61, of Bellmore, was sentenced on April 15 after pleading guilty to second-degree grand larceny, the DA said. As part of the plea agreement, Tulchiner was also ordered to pay $499,000 in full restitution and agreed to forfeit his license to practice law, prosecutors said.

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Tulchiner was the former principal attorney at The Law Office of Michael J. Tulchiner in Melville. Prosecutors said he stole $413,237 from his mortgage disbursement account between August and December 2022.

According to the DA’s office, Tulchiner had been hired to represent a client at the closing of a real estate transaction. As part of that deal, the client had to pay off a prior loan on the property being sold. Tulchiner was given refinance loan proceeds on behalf of the client, and a portion of that money was specifically designated to satisfy the earlier mortgage, prosecutors said.

The money was placed into Tulchiner’s mortgage disbursement account, where it was supposed to remain until it was used to pay the required amount to close the transaction, according to prosecutors. The DA’s office said Tulchiner was required to send $413,237 to a mortgage company for his client and obtained a bank check for that purpose on Aug. 26, 2022.

Instead of delivering the check, prosecutors said Tulchiner redeposited the money into his own account on Aug. 29, 2022.

An analysis of his bank records later showed that he spent the money on expenses tied to his law firm and not on the authorized transaction, according to the DA’s office.

Tulchiner pleaded guilty on Jan. 27, before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice John Collins, prosecutors said. He was sentenced by Collins on April 15, according to the DA’s office.

Tulchiner was represented by defense attorney Scott Gross, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This former attorney now stands convicted and sentenced for stealing from a client,” Tierney said. “This was a calculated abuse of trust, and it ends in public disgrace, restitution, and accountability. No one is above the law. Attorneys who betray their duty will be exposed and prosecuted.”