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Malpractice Lawyer Who Stole More than $3 Million From Clients Gets up to 7.5 Years in Prison

By DNAinfo Staff on November 1, 2010 11:44am

The exterior of 100 Centre Street, the main criminal courts building in Manhattan.
The exterior of 100 Centre Street, the main criminal courts building in Manhattan.
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By Shayna Jacobs

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A Manhattan malpractice lawyer charged with stealing more than $3 million in settlement money owed to his clients was sentenced on Friday to 2.5 to 7.5 years in prison.

Marc Bernstein, 56, a 28-year veteran attorney, pleaded guilty to not paying his clients the rightful amounts awarded to them on personal injury and malpractice claims.

"I was weak and I was foolish," said Bernstein before being taken away in handcuffs.

He was also ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution, none of which has been repaid yet.

"The defendant is a predator with a law degree," Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said in a statement.