Crime & Safety

DA: Oceanside Attorney Admits to Stealing $10K

By Stephen Bronner

A former attorney from Oceanside has admitted in court that he stole $10,000 from a couple whom he represented in the purchase of a new home, according to the Nassau District Attorney.

Nathan Levner, 54, was arrested in May by DA Investigators and charged with third-degree grand larceny, a D felony. He pleaded guilty to the charge Wednesday after reimbursing the Lawyers Fund for Client Protection of New York State in July for the full restitution that was paid to his victims. Levner, who was disbarred in December 2012, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 15, 2014.

“Real estate attorneys are trusted with our finances and have access to very sensitive personal information, so it’s especially disturbing when one is found to be stealing from his clients,” DA Kathleen Rice said. “My office is committed to rooting out white collar criminals who use their positions of trust and authority to swindle innocent people, and I encourage anyone who thinks they may have been the victim of a crime to contact my office immediately.”

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According to the DA’s office:

In July 2011, a couple hired Levner to represent them in the sale of their former residence and the purchase of a new home. At the closing of the sale of their former residence on July 15, 2011, the purchasers deposited $10,000 into Levner’s account. This money was to be held in escrow until the victims vacated their former home. Once this was done, the $10,000 would be released to the victims.

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After the closing on the sale of the victims’ former home and prior to the closing of the purchase of their new home, however, Levner failed to return any of the victims’ phone calls, Rice said. The victims vacated their former home on Aug. 1, 2011, and were forced to hire a new attorney at the closing of the new home they were purchasing.

On Sept. 9, 2011, the new attorney sent Levner a demand letter requesting the money be given to the victims, but Levner never responded nor returned the money. Levner was suspended from practicing law on June 1, 2012, after admitting that he had used the money to make a personal investment.


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