The New York Law Journal by Joel Stashenko - January 25, 2011
A disbarred attorney admitted in Buffalo Supreme Court yesterday to swindling more than $400,000 from 20 clients, bringing to $3.1 million the amount he has been ordered to pay in restitution to 43 clients and two loan companies. Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III said Kenneth P. Bernas' additional victims stepped forward after the ex-attorney admitted in September to bilking 23 former clients. He has now pleaded guilty to 53 felony counts and could face a maximum of 50 years in prison when sentenced by Supreme Court Justice Penny M. Wolfgang on Feb. 23. A former real estate and personal injury attorney, Mr. Bernas, 53, was disbarred last year. Authorities said he ran a series of scams against his former clients. In some cases, they say, he took out loans in clients' names and kept the money while in others, he spent money awarded to personal injury clients Mr. Sedita said Mr. Bernas used the money to finance construction of an opulent home in a Buffalo suburb. The district attorney said he is working with the Erie County Bar Association and the Lawyers Fund for Client Protection to try to get some compensation for former clients bilked by Mr. Bernas.
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3 comments:
Hey get this bonehead closer to the big money in NYC. This kind of crook deserves to be in Manhattan, so the DDC can do their cover-up, for the right price, of course. Oh, we haven't forgotten you thugs: Sherry Cohen, Tom Cahill, Alan Friedberg and good old Naomi Goldstein. Gone, but not forgotten. We'll be attending your criminal trials one of these days.
You have to wonder why it took so long to stop this guy. Weren't there any early hints? Why did so many people have to get screwed. One person screwed by this lawyer is bad enough, but over 40. Unbelievable.
Only $3 million? let's sell his body parts if we could find someone to take them!
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