ATTORNEY ADMITS TO TAKING $797,000 FROM CLIENTS

Another case handled by Brian A. Raphan, P.C. was on the Cover Page of the New York Law Journal last week. Brian was appointed as Special Referee by the Supreme Court of the State of New York to perform a forensic review of Nassau County attorney Martha Brosius' handling of a senior citizen's financial affairs. Brian uncovered many undocumented and improper financial transactions and filed his detailed analysis to the Court.  As a result of Brian's report, criminal actions were commenced against attorney Brosius, which ultimately led to a guilty plea. Brosius now faces 6-12 years behind bars.  Of course, she will lose her license to practice law.  Another win for the good guys! The article is provided below.   •   •   •

*As appeared Front Page of the New York Law Journal 6/25/15, By Andrew Denney, The New York Law Journal ATTORNEY ADMITS TO TAKING $797,000 FROM CLIENTS A Long Island elder law attorney has admitted to embezzling more than $797,000 from her clients over a four-year period, the Queens District Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday. Martha Brosius, 52, of Brosius & Associates of Great Neck, appeared Tuesday before Acting Supreme Court Justice Helene Gugerty and pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree grand larceny and one count of scheme to defraud, according to a news release from Queens District Attorney Richard Brown's Office. "The defendant has admitted to breaching her fiduciary duty and unjustly enriching herself at the expense of her client," Brown said in the release. Brosius was indicted for the offenses in 2013. Her clients included a 77-year-old man who had been deemed mentally incapable and for whom Brosius served as legal guardian, as well as two brothers who retained Brosius to sell their deceased father's estate and establish a special-needs trust for their disabled sister, who was the sole heir to the father's estate. Brosius is scheduled to appear before Gugerty on Aug. 12 for sentencing. Gugerty has indicated that her prison sentence would range between four and 12 years. Brosius is a graduate of the St. John's University School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 2003. According to the Office of Court Administration website, she has not been publicly disciplined. Her guilty plea will subject her to mandatory disbarment. Assistant District Attorneys James Liander and Yvonne Francis appeared for the Queens District Attorney's Office. • • • "Improper use of an adult's funds, property, or resources by another individual is elder abuse. This includes, but is not limited to, fraud, embezzlement, forgery, falsifying records, coerced property transfers, or denial of access to assets."   TO REPORT FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION OF ELDERS IN NY STATE Click Here. Or Call 844-697-3505 FOR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S PRESS RELEASE Click Here.

Nursing home hired strippers for patients: suit

By Selim Algar

April 8, 2014 | 2:02am

Modal Trigger

Bernice Youngblood, 85, slips a dollar bill into the briefs of a stripper hired to perform at her Long Island nursing home.

 

The elderly residents of a Long Island nursing home saw their shuffleboards replaced by washboard abs when they were subjected to a low-rent Chippendale’s striptease in the facility’s rec room, a new lawsuit claims.
The son of one resident, 85-year-old Bernice Youngblood, was shocked when he showed up for a visit and found a picture of his mom stuffing dollar bills — which are supposed to be locked away in her commissary account — into a dancer’s briefs.
The image also showed several of Youngblood’s fellow residents at the East Neck Nursing Center in West Babylon looking on with a mix of shock and delight as the dancers bumped and ground for their amusement.
Youngblood’s family immediately expressed their outrage to the staff — but were ignored, according to the suit.
“Plaintiff Bernice Youngblood was placed in apprehension of imminent, offensive, physical harm, as she was confused and bewildered as to why a muscular, almost nude man, was approaching her and placing his body and limbs, over [her],” the suit states.
Her family attorneys, John Ray and Vesselin Mitev, state in the complaint that her son, Franklin Youngblood, found the offensive photograph among her belongings during a January visit.
The irate son confronted a nurse, but the staffer lunged at him and tried to snatch the picture away, the suit states.
A nurse later told another of the victim’s sons that the strip show was an “entertainment event” for the patients and was done in “good faith,” according to the suit.
“Hiring male stippers to perform for the defendant’s nursing-home patients was a serial occurrence,” the suit claims.
“Bernice Youngblood has lived 85 years as a traditional Baptist, hard-working, lady . . . And now she has been defiled,” Ray said.
Youngblood’s family also asked why his mother was holding dollar bills in her hand when her cash was supposed to be kept under lock and key in a commissary account — but were again blown off, the papers state.
The “vile” incident was done “all for the perverse pleasure and enjoyment of the Defendant’s staff,” the suit claims.
Youngblood’s attorneys argue she “lacks the mental and physical capacity” to protect herself.
The facility did not immediately return a call for comment.

Filed underEast Neck Nursing Center, Long Island, Nursing Home, Strippers