Long Island Lawyer Stole $247K From 2 Clients: Suffolk DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A lawyer from a Huntington firm was indicted after she was accused of stealing money from two clients, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said Tuesday.

Daphna Zekaria, 54, of Syosset, a partner at the Huntington law firm of Sokolski and Zekaria, P.C., stole approximately $200K, investigators said.

"The allegations against this defendant represent an egregious violation of trust that the victims placed in her as an attorney and a fiduciary," Tierney said in a news release. "The duties and responsibilities of attorney-client relationships are a critically essential element of our legal system, and my office will not tolerate individuals using their law degrees as licenses to steal."

Zekaria was hired by a New York State Lottery winner in December 2021 and promised to hold a portion of her client's money in the firm's escrow account and invest an additional portion on his behalf, prosecutors said. She did not hold or invest it, but instead made large transfers to other people that she would not have been able to make without her client's funds in her account, authorities said.

Zekaria collected $230K from the man in three separate transactions, the DA said.

In March, Zekaria was retained by a Manhattan woman to assist her in contesting eviction
proceedings, officials said.

Zekaria took $17,500 from the woman to represent her but performed no legal work on her behalf, investigators said. After the woman requested her money back, 13 days after providing payment, Zekaria had spent the her money on LIPA payments and credit card bills, authorities said.

Zekaria was charged with second-degree grand larceny, third-degree grand larceny and scheme to defraud. She was also charged with second-degree criminal contempt after she failed to comply with a grand jury subpoena for records related to her dealings with the victims, the DA said.

Zekaria was arrested Tuesday. A judge ordered her released on her own recognizance and placed on supervised release. Her next court date is scheduled for Dec. 13. She is being represented by the Legal Aid Society.

"If you believe you are a victim of Zekaria, please call the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office
at 631-853-4626," the DA's Office wrote.