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Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Stealing Nearly $2M From Cemetery

By Nicholas Rizzi | February 5, 2015 5:31pm
 Timothy Griffin, 54, a lawyer who lives in Connecticut, pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $2 million from a Staten Island cemetery.
Timothy Griffin, 54, a lawyer who lives in Connecticut, pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $2 million from a Staten Island cemetery.
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Attorney General's Office

RICHMOND TOWN — A lawyer who stole nearly $2 million from a Staten Island cemetery while serving as acting president pleaded guilty to grand larceny Wednesday, the attorney general announced.

Timothy Griffin, 54, who lives in Connecticut, took the money from the United Hebrew Cemetery, 122 Arthur Kill Rd., after he was appointed president to replace the previous chief, who also arrested with his wife from stealing money from the cemetery.

Griffin used the stolen money to replace the funds he took from his law clients' escrow accounts to buy a country club membership and fancy cars, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.

“This defendant not only stole from the clients of his law practice, but then stole millions from his charity in an attempt to disguise that theft,” Schneiderman in a statement.

“My office has zero tolerance for anyone who abuses the public trust by taking advantage of a position at a nonprofit. If you use a charity as your own personal piggy bank, you will face serious consequences, including jail time.”

Griffin was asked to serve as president for the cemetery in 2012 and made six wire transfers from them to his account to cover money he's been stealing from his clients for years, Schneiderman said.

On Wednesday, Griffin pleaded guilty in front of Judge Stephen Rooney in Staten Island. He's expected to serve three to nine years in prison for the theft, Schneiderman said.

Schneiderman said Griffin is also expected to plead guilty on Feb. 15 in Westchester for grand larceny for stealing more than $1 million from his clients.

He was also sentenced to six months in federal prison in Connecticut for tax evasion charges last week, Schneiderman said.