Daniel Boldi, of Garden City, charged with stealing $700,000 in funds from real estate transactions
A Garden City attorney was charged with stealing more than $700,000 from a pair of real estate transactions last year, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Daniel Boldi, 49, pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree grand larceny at his arraignment Wednesday. If convicted on the felony charges, he faces 5 to 15 years in prison, District Attorney Anne Donnelly’s office said in a news release.
“This defendant allegedly deceived victims he worked with during real estate transactions. He’s alleged to have stolen proceeds of their property sales and money earmarked to pay off a mortgage,” Donnelly said in a statement. “Incredibly, one couple continues to pay the mortgage for a home they no longer own because of this defendant’s alleged embezzlement.”
Donnelly said her office has received multiple complaints from other individuals who reported being victimized by Boldi.
Boldi's defense attorney, Michael R. Franzese, of Mineola, said in a statement, “I haven’t had a chance to review the evidence since I am in receipt of only the allegations but in terms of those, if proven, my client’s intention is to pay back the money.”
Prosecutors said bank records show the funds from the real estate transactions that led to charges were spent on other matters, including a $687,264 payment Boldi allegedly made to sellers in an unrelated transfer.
Prosecutors said one count relates to an Oct. 31 transaction in which Boldi served as an attorney for the bank involved in an East Meadow couple’s sale of their home. He was to transfer $309,367 to the couple’s lender to pay off the remainder of their mortgage but never did, presenting them with a fraudulent document after closing suggesting he did, prosecutors said. The mortgage has still not been paid off, forcing the couple to continue making mortgage payments on a house they no longer own, the district attorney's office said.
On Nov. 14 Boldi represented a buyer in the purchase of a home in Valley Stream in another closing, but he allegedly presented the seller with a $379,493 check that bounced. The funds sent by the buyer’s lender were never released, prosecutors said.
Boldi, who was released on his own recognizance, is due back in court April 25.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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