Jury convicts Guldi of fraud, larceny

Former Suffolk Legis. George Guldi was found guilty of insurance fraud and grand larceny Wednesday, but acquitted of two forgery charges after a monthlong trial in Riverhead that was by turns tense and lighthearted.

Guldi, 57, who was wearing one of his trademark bow ties, kept a tight smile on his face after the jury foreman read the verdict. He then thanked jurors for their time. He winced slightly as he was handcuffed by court officers and said it was unlikely he could post the $500,000 bail set by County Court Judge James F.X. Doyle. He appeared to choke up as he was led from the courtroom.

Guldi, an attorney, represented himself during his trial. He faces a maximum sentence of five to 15 years on the top count of grand larceny. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 18.

"I know that George is not going to stop fighting to prove his innocence," said attorney Christopher Brocato, who was Guldi's legal adviser during the trial. "He will appeal."

The jury of seven men and five women found Guldi guilty of second-degree grand larceny and insurance fraud. He was acquitted of second-degree forgery and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Assistant Suffolk County District Attorney Thalia Stavrides expressed satisfaction with the verdict.

The case centered on what Guldi did with an $863,473 insurance check he received after his Westhampton Beach home burned down in November 2008. The check was made out to both Guldi and his lender, Countrywide Home Loans, and required both endorsements.

Prosecutors charged that Guldi forged the mortgage lender's endorsement on the check, which should have been used to pay off the mortgage, and deposited the money for himself. Guldi maintained that he never forged any endorsement and did not deposit the check.

Doyle thanked the jurors for keeping their sense of humor throughout the trial, which veered from hours of highly technical testimony about such things as typewriter fonts, to moments of lightheartedness. Guldi, for instance, started his opening statement, which followed the prosecutor, by saying "Now for something completely different," quoting the Monty Python Flying Circus comedy troupe.

At times, tension was high in the courtroom, and Doyle admonished both Guldi and Stavrides to keep the tone civil. But later, Guldi wished Stavrides a happy Valentine's Day, and she thanked him.

Jurors declined to comment Wednesday. They reached their verdict after two days of deliberations. Guldi faces a later trial on what prosecutors have described as his involvement in an $82 million mortgage-fraud scheme.

Guldi served in the county Legislature from 1993 to 2003, when he was defeated for re-election by Jay Schneiderman. After his arrest in early 2009, Guldi tried to run again for the Legislature, but lost in a primary.