You are reading

Disbarred Flushing Attorney Charged for Allegedly Stealing Client’s Personal Injury Settlement

iStock

Sept. 29, 2020 By Christian Murray

A disbarred Flushing attorney who allegedly stole $66,000 from a client who had won a personal injury settlement has been charged with grand larceny, forgery and other financial crimes.

Yohan Choi, 44, who had a legal practice on Northern Boulevard, was charged for bilking his client out of the settlement proceeds from a case involving a 2016 car crash.

“The defendant was entrusted to uphold the law,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “Instead he allegedly lied, manipulated and then enriched himself with funds intended for his client. This defendant is accused of violating his fiduciary duties to feed his own greed.”

According to the charges, the insurance company awarded the victim $93,000 in November 2017, shortly after Choi had been disbarred for reasons not dealing with the case.

Choi allegedly convinced his client at the time that he could negotiate a larger settlement and deposited the $93,000 into his law firm account after forging his client’s signature on the check.

The defendant then told the victim in December 2019 that the case had finally been settled. Choi then wrote the victim out a fraudulent check for $100,000, which had a stop payment order placed on.

The victim then confronted Choi, who allegedly said the insurance company put the hold on the check. He wrote him out a second check that also could not be cashed.

The District Attorney’s office said that the victim then learned that Choi had been disbarred and confronted him yet again. In March, the defendant finally paid.

Choi was charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree, forgery in the third degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree and for practicing law after being disbarred.

He faces up to 4 years in prison if convicted.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Dead man found along Clearview Expressway identified, investigation reclassified as homicide: NYPD

A Ridgewood man was identified as the murder victim whose body was discovered along the Clearview Expressway on Tuesday morning, the NYPD announced early Friday morning. The investigation was reclassified as a homicide.

Emmanuel Moncoeur, 57, of Margaret Place, was spotted in the grass near the tree line by a motorist who pulled over on the northbound shoulder near the Union Turnpike exit alongside Cunningham Park just before 9 a.m. on Feb. 4, and he called 911.

Hate crimes task force probes antisemitic assault on F train in Jamaica Hills: NYPD

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating an antisemitic assault on a subway train in Jamaica Hills during the morning rush on Monday, Jan. 13.

The 27-year-old victim in the attack was onboard a northbound F train that was approaching the Parsons Boulevard subway station at 7 a.m. when a stranger began shouting antisemitic rhetoric at him before he slapped him and then punched him in the face.

Gunman wanted for firing at livery cab in Flushing over fare dispute: NYPD

Police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing are looking for a gunman who opened fire at a livery cab near the Shops at Skyview on Saturday morning.

The suspect was getting dropped off in front of 40-28 College Point Blvd. in Flushing when he got into a dispute with the 63-year-old driver. The two argued about the fare, and the suspect exited the vehicle and started to run away. He was seen on video surveillance pulling out a firearm and firing a shot while on the run that missed the cab and struck the pavement. The driver was not injured, and there was no property damage, an NYPD spokeswoman said Thursday.