How Did Court Examiners Miss $4M Allegedly Siphoned By N.Y. Guardian?
News this week that a New York lawyer serving as a court-appointed guardian has been accused of taking $4 million from some $30 million in funds that he was in charge of overseeing is sparking scrutiny of the system for reviewing guardians’ work.
Outside examiners selected by judges from a list kept by Appellate Division courts went over the files kept by attorney Steven Rondos, who has been indicted, along with his law firm, on charges of money laundering, a scheme to defraud and offering a false instrument for filing. However, his alleged misconduct apparently wasn’t discovered until co-guardians of multiple clients complained about large withdrawals, reports the National Law Journal.
“So far, five court examiners have resigned from the state list of court-approved examiners and one has been suspended pending further investigation,” the legal publication writes. “Sixteen different examiners signed off on cases involved in the indictment, including a Manhattan surrogate’s court attorney.”
Earlier ABAJournal.com coverage:
Court-Appointed NY Lawyer Accused of Stealing $4M from Clients
