Disbarred Attorney From Nassau Stole $21K From Client: DA

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — A disbarred attorney was accused of stealing $21,500 from a client after he previously pleaded guilty to grand larceny charges, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said.

Alfred DiGirolomo Jr., 67, of Manhasset, was re-arrested in connection with practicing law without authorization, Donnelly said. DiGirolomo Jr. stole supposed attorney fees and settlement funds he falsely claimed he negotiated on behalf of his client, the DA said.

DiGirolomo was arraigned Tuesday on charges of third-degree grand larceny (a D felony) and practice of law by an attorney who has been disbarred, suspended, or convicted of a felony (an A misdemeanor). He pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, he faces up to 2-and-a-third to 7 years in prison. His next scheduled court date is April 27.

DiGirolomo previously pleaded guilty to grand larceny charges and was disbarred. He was sentenced to 1-and-a-third to four years in prison in March 2021 for both cases and ordered to pay $680,000 in restitution.

"Less than two months after pleading guilty to grand larceny charges and losing his license to practice law, this defendant allegedly solicited purported attorney fees from an existing client and defiantly continued to provide representation," Donnelly said in a news release. "The defendant allegedly falsely told his client that he resolved the underlying matter, stole more than $21,000 from him, and ultimately caused him to receive a notice of default on the case for failing to appear at multiple court dates."

DiGirolomo, despite having been disbarred on April 4, 2019, continued to work with a client who hired him in 2016 to represent him in a civil matter, Donnelly said. The former lawyer requested $5,000 in attorney fees on two separate occasions in September 2019 and November 2019, after he was disbarred, authorities said.

He also made false claims to his client that he was able to negotiate a settlement that would resolve the civil matter, where his client was the defendant, for $11,500, prosecutors said. The client provided DiGirolomo with the funds in December 2019, believing the matter had been resolved, investigators said.

The plaintiff in the civil case had not agreed to settle the matter, and DiGirolomo's offer was rejected, the DA said. DiGirolomo continued to hold himself out as an attorney after his client believed the case had been settled, communicating with the plaintiff’s attorney and the court, officials said.

In July 2022, the client received a Notice of Default from the court and learned his case had not been resolved and the matter had appeared on the court’s calendar multiple times where DiGirolomo did not show up, and that the case was still pending in court, prosecutors said.

Kim Kaufmann of the Legal Aid Society is representing DiGirolomo.