Prominent Lawyer Calls His Next Witness in $863K Insurance-Check Fraud Case: Himself
Updated: Attorney George Guldi ended the speculation Wednesday about whether or not he would testify in an ongoing criminal trial over his alleged conversion of an $863,000 fire-insurance check.
“I call my next witness, George Guldi,” the former Suffolk County lawmaker told the court, stepping up to the stand wearing a bow tie.
Although he didn’t always pay all his mortgage and credit card bills in a given month, he still had $900,000 to his name, Guldi testified. And he said he never signed anyone’s name to the insurance check but his own, or typed in the mortgage lender’s name, reports the East Hampton Patch.
“At the time it was deposited, I was in Vermont,” said Guldi. “The last time I saw this check, it bore only my endorsement.”
The Patch article doesn’t say whether Guldi offered any explanation of how he thought the lender’s name might have gotten onto the check or who deposited it.
However, a subsequent Southampton Press story explains that Guldi said in further testimony on Thursday, Feb. 10, that he “didn’t take the check anywhere” after endorsing it with his own signature only.
Guldi speculated, though, that a co-defendant of his in a separate mortgage fraud cause that has not yet gone to trial, or one of the co-defendant’s employees, had deposited the insurance check in a New York City bank account. A prosecutor in the current insurance fraud trial described the New York account in court as one of Guldi’s accounts.
Closing arguments are expected to be held on Monday.
Related earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “NY Lawyers & Dominatrix Accused of Running $50M Mortgage Fraud Scheme”
ABAJournal.com: “Bizarre $50M Fraud Case Will Help NY Lawyer Challenge Law Office Raid”
Last updated Feb. 11 to include and accord with Southampton Press information.
