Queens Defenders gets new interim executive director amid leadership shakeup

Anthony Martone, a longtime director at the Queens Defenders, was named the organization’s interim executive director after the public defender group’s board of directors forced their longtime executive director, Lori Zeno, to go on leave last week. Photo via Queens Defenders/X

By Jacob Kaye

Several days after the Queens Defenders’ founder and executive director was forced to go on leave by the organization’s board of directors, the public defense group has a new interim leader.

Anthony Martone, who previously served as the Queens Defenders’ deputy director of trials, was chosen to lead the organization on an interim basis in the wake of the ouster of its longtime controversial leader, Lori Zeno.

While Zeno has been barred from entering the Queens Defenders’ offices, it’s unclear if she has been fired or remains on leave.

A spokesperson for the Queens Defenders referred the Eagle to a statement released by the organization when asked about Zeno’s current employment status on Tuesday. The statement made no mention of Zeno.

“The board looks forward to working closely with Mr. Martone and we are confident in his ability to lead the organization in this period of transition,” Doneath Powell, the chair of the board of directors, said in the statement. “Through conversations between the board and the interim leadership team, members of management, attorneys, social workers, and staff members, it is clear that every member of the Queens Defenders team is resolute in their commitment to providing the highest-quality legal defense and life changing resources for the clients and communities we serve.”

Powell first alerted staff about Zeno’s leave Thursday. The Eagle was the first to report on the shakeup.

In an email sent to Queens Defenders’ staff Thursday evening, Powell did not specify the reason behind Zeno’s dismissal. However, Powell directed staff with complaints to reach out to the New York attorney general’s whistleblower office, which fields information from insiders “with sensitive information about misdeeds by their employer.”

“As a result of information received by the Board of Queens Defenders, Lori Zeno has been placed on leave effective immediately and is not allowed on any Queens Defenders property,” Powell said in the Thursday email obtained by the Eagle.

In addition to Zeno’s leave of absence, Powell said in the email that three other Queens Defenders staffers had been fired. Among them was Rashad Ruhani, who was allegedly married to Zeno through a Muslim ceremony not recognized by law, and Ureka Washington, Ruhani’s legal wife.

Zeno’s leadership of the Queens Defenders had long been scrutinized by attorneys working at the organization. In recent years, the longtime public defender has been accused of wrongfully terminating attorneys attempting to unionize the firm. She also was sued for allegedly retaliating against a staffer who had requested reasonable accommodations for multiple ailments she was suffering from.

In an email announcing Martone’s appointment on Monday, Powell said the board, Martone and Queens Defenders’ leadership “have a shared commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our offices and we are deeply invested in cultivating an inclusive workplace where every member of our team can thrive.”

Martone, who has spent nearly four decades working as a public defender, first started with the Queens Defenders in 2014. During his tenure with the organization, he led their felony youth defense unit and their trials unit.

Zeno did not respond to requests for comment.

The Queens Defenders’ Association of Legal Aid Attorneys chapter declined to comment on Martone’s appointment on Tuesday.