A disbarred legal professional has been discovered responsible of unlawfully acquiring the property deeds of Black and Brown householders in Brooklyn. Sanford “Sandy” Solny was tried and convicted in Downtown Brooklyn for stealing 11 residential properties and defrauding a complete of 15 victims.
The workplace of Brooklyn District Lawyer Eric Gonzalez charged him with using an actual property fraud scheme that, between 2012 and 2022, promised to help financially distressed householders.
Although he promised to facilitate quick gross sales and forestall foreclosures, Solny as an alternative transferred the property deeds from householders who got here to him to 11 totally different corporations underneath his administration. Throughout this era, he collected lease on these properties whereas permitting the unique householders to proceed dealing with foreclosures.
Following a bench trial earlier than Brooklyn Supreme Courtroom Justice Danny Chun on Thursday, June 5, the 68-year-old Solny was discovered responsible of 13 counts of third-degree legal possession of stolen property, three counts of first-degree scheme to defraud, and one depend of third-degree grand larceny.
Necessary jail time
After the responsible verdict, the district legal professional’s workplace argued that Solny must be imprisoned till sentencing. They contended that Solny was a flight threat as a result of he owns a complete of 240 properties that might simply be monetized and used to fund his escape. “He’s a 68-year-old disbarred legal professional who has been committing fraud for 20 years now,” an assistant D.A. defined to the choose. “There isn’t any motive to consider –– despite the fact that we will say he confirmed up daily for this trial –– now that he’s dealing with obligatory jail time, that he’ll return. If I had been a 68-year-old disbarred legal professional, I’d have questions of whether or not I’d return for obligatory jail time.”
However Choose Chun allowed Solny to stay free till he’s sentenced on September 17. The choose mentioned that Solny ought to understand that he presently faces between three and a half to seven years in jail, but when he tries to flee the nation, as soon as he’s caught, Choose Chun would really feel obligated to see that he faces an extended jail sentence: “It will be dozens of years in jail,” Choose Chun mentioned. “So that might be greater than sufficient incentive for the defendant to not flee.”
Preyed on Brooklyn householders
Solny, who lives in Midwood, Brooklyn, had his legislation license suspended in 2012; he was disbarred in 2023. The 11 properties he dedicated deed theft on had been from householders in neighborhoods like Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Flatbush, Canarsie, East New York, and Ocean Hill.
District Lawyer Gonzalez mentioned of the case, “This defendant didn’t simply steal properties — he stole stability, fairness, and the long run that these households labored arduous to construct. He preyed on Brooklyn householders already in disaster, together with a nurse, cab driver, and residential well being aide, by posing as a trusted advisor. This sentence makes clear that we are going to not permit fraudsters to use weak New Yorkers or revenue from a housing disaster and highlights my workplace’s success in prosecuting deed theft.”
The D.A.’s workplace has mentioned that it’ll reverse the 11 fraudulent deeds Solny executed and provides possession again to his victims. Nonetheless, much more householders who say they had been victimized by Solny’s actual property fraud schemes are additionally in search of justice. Their instances weren’t included on this trial.
Gaoussou Ouedraogo and Patrice Sawadogo, from Burkina Faso, fell sufferer to Solny’s schemes. They had been current within the courtroom when the previous legal professional was convicted. The 2 mentioned they plan on discovering authorized assist and re-establishing claims to the 2 homes Solny stole from them.
Because the AmNews sat exterior the courtroom talking with Solny’s victims, the previous legal professional solemnly left the courtroom along with his protection legal professional, members of the family, and a courtroom officer. One Solny sufferer yelled out to him “You’re a chunk of sh*t!” as he walked by. That enraged Solny’s spouse. She shortly turned and feigned as if she was going to pounce on the girl who’d mentioned it. “I want you’ll,” the girl informed Solny’s spouse. The 2 girls screamed at one another, however no bodily confrontation adopted. Then Solny and his supporters continued their stroll towards the exits.
