A Florida man was charged with stealing over $90,000 from six Russian-speaking victims in Brooklyn while posing as an attorney, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney.
The defendant, who was never registered to practice law, was arraigned on Monday on a 20-count indictment, according to a press release.
“As alleged, this defendant deceitfully portrayed himself as a practicing attorney to exploit the trust of New Yorkers in need of legal services," said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. "Instead of helping them, the defendant allegedly took advantage of them and lined his own pockets at their expense. We will now seek to hold him accountable for his alleged criminal actions.”
The defendant, David Manasher, 44, of Margate, Fla., also resided at times in New York and New Jersey. He is charged with second-, third- and fourth-degree grand larceny; first-degree immigrant assistant services fraud; second-degree forgery; first-degree offering a false instrument for filing; practicing law or appearing as attorney-at-law without being admitted and registered to practice; and first-degree scheme to defraud.
The defendant was released without bail and ordered to return to court on August 21, 2024.
According to the investigation, between December 1, 2020, and March 15, 2024, the defendant defrauded six people out of approximately $93,000 while posing as a lawyer specializing in landlord-tenant, immigration and contract law. The defendant stole amounts ranging from approximately $2,000 to approximately $65,000.
All six victims are Russian-speaking and either resided or worked in Brooklyn. They retained the defendant through various referrals and paid him in the belief that he was a licensed attorney. In one matter, the defendant forged a victim’s signature on both a court filing and a retainer agreement. One of the victims reported the defendant to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, which launched an investigation.
People who believe that they have been victimized by this defendant are encouraged to contact the District Attorney’s Action Center at 718-250-2340 or send an email to [email protected].
