New York City

Published on: July 29, 2012

Court Reviews Judiciary Law

by Stephen Bilkis

This case is being heard in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Department. The matter at hand deals with the attorney and respondent of the case, Eric Alan Klein. The petitioner in the case is the Departmental Disciplinary Committee for the First Judicial Department.

The respondent was admitted to the bar on the 7th of March, 1984. This occurred during a term of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the Second Judicial Department. The respondent was admitted to the bar under the name of Eric Alan Klein.

Case Background

Published on: July 18, 2012

Defendant on Trial for Larceny by Embezzlement

by Stephen Bilkis

An Armored Courier Corp. warehouse in Bronx County was burglarized and robbed of some $11 million by individuals unconnected to the company, who were later apprehended and prosecuted. In the aftermath of the robbery, the Bronx County District Attorney’s office focused its attention on the company’s-own business practices. A series of indictments charging the company and its principals with various counts of grand larceny and misapplication of property ensued. A New York Criminal Lawyer said he question presented for consideration is whether the indictments’ allegations concerning the companies handling of the money entrusted to their care would, if proven, support convictions for the crimes charged.

The six indictments collectively charge the company officials, the Armored Courier Corp. and the Investigations Corp. with several counts of grand larceny in the second degree and misapplication of property. At the time the indictments were issued, the company was principally engaged in transporting and storing large sums of cash and performing related services on behalf of its clients. The company officials include the president of the Armored Courier Corp., the senior vice-president of that corporation, and the vice-president and cashier of the Valley National Bank, which played a role in one of the alleged misappropriation schemes.

The case has a complex factual and procedural history. The grand larceny and misapplication charges arose out of four separate courses of conduct, which the State of New York claim demonstrate the accused parties’ criminal mishandling of their clients’ funds. The first Grand Jury to consider the State’s evidence handed up five indictments. Of the five, three were dismissed entirely with leave to re-present. The other two indictments were sustained against the company president and senior vice-president but dismissed against the only named corporate opponent, the Armored Courier Corp. The second Grand Jury handed up four new indictments, naming the company president, the senior vice-president, the Armored Courier Corp. and the Investigations Corp. as opponents. All six outstanding indictments were dismissed by the Presiding Judge on the ground that the proof before the Grand Jury was legally insufficient. Two of the indictments, which named the company president and senior vice-president as opponents, were reinstated on the State’s appeal to the Appellate Division, and the State, as well as the company president and senior vice-president were granted leave to take cross appeals to the court.

Published on: May 16, 2011

New York Man Pleads Guilty To Being Royalty

by Stephen Bilkis

A New York financial money manager pleads guilty to lying. The man told investors he was related to the Royal Family in Belgium and cooked up an investment scheme that he said they supported. A New York Criminal Lawyer claims the man then managed to get almost $7 million worth of money out of clients to invest in his made up scheme.

This scheme took place in late 2007 and 2008. The New York Criminal Lawyer says that this scheme is one of reasons why the economy turned south in 2008. There were many financial managers at the time that had made false statements to their clients about financial dealings. All of the managers who were lying at the time contributed to the downfall of the economy and the downfall of the trust that investors place in financial managers.

A New York Criminal Lawyer also states that the man pleaded guilty in order to receive a lighter sentence. He expects that when he goes back to court in February that he will receive three to nine years behind bars. He will also have to repay the money that he cheated his investors out of in the scheme. He created the scheme and made up the family relations in a desperate bid to save his flailing business. He is currently free on bail until sentencing, where he is then expected to immediately have to report to federal prison. There is no word if he had associates in the scheme.