Ex-Fresh Meadows attorney charged with stealing cash from clients

Ex-attorney Michael Kohn worked out of an office in Fresh Meadows. Google Maps photo

By David Brand

A disbarred lawyer operating out of a Fresh Meadows office was charged with grand larceny Tuesday for allegedly stealing more than $150,000 from three clients. 

Former attorney Michael Kohn, 70, siphoned cash from clients’ bank accounts after representing them in real estate and personal injury matters between 2013 and 2017, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

“The victims trusted the defendant to act on their behalf, when they hired him to handle various legal matters,” Katz said. “Instead the defendant allegedly pocketed tens of thousands of dollars that should have been distributed to his clients.”

In one instance, Kohn allegedly stole more than $80,000 from a victim after handling the sale of a property in Woodside. Another client who was awarded $90,000 in a 2015 civil settlement never received any of that money, Katz said.

A third victim was administering a dead relative’s estate when they hired Kohn to handle the sale of a Douglaston property that sold for $650,000 in 2013. The victim allegedly received just $100,000 from the sale.

Kohn, who lives on Long Island, resigned from the bar in January 2019.

He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to return to court on Oct. 27. He faces 15 years in prison if convicted. 

Kohn’s attorney did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.