Lawyer Peter Giattino is going through felony fees for allegedly stealing $750,000 from an actual property consumer. He’s accused of spending the funds on playing and different private bills.
Lengthy Island, New York, lawyer Peter Giattino is going through felony fees for allegedly stealing six figures from a consumer who employed him for an actual property transaction.
The consumer, who stays unnamed, employed Giattino to symbolize him within the June 2025 buy of a Southampton house. The consumer wired $750,000 to Giattino for the acquisition.
Nevertheless, over the 5 months that adopted, the legal professional allegedly withdrew the funds by way of official financial institution checks, ATM transactions and money withdrawals for playing and different private bills.
By October, the closing on the Southampton house had fallen by way of, allegedly at Giattino’s behest, main the consumer to ask the legal professional for the funds. Nevertheless, Giattino had spent your entire $750,000.
“The allegations in opposition to this defendant mirror a critical betrayal of the arrogance the sufferer positioned on this legal professional in his position as each authorized counsel and fiduciary,” Suffolk County District Lawyer Raymond A. Tierney stated in an announcement. “The integrity of the attorney-client relationship is prime to our society, and this workplace won’t enable licensed professionals to abuse their positions for private acquire.”
Giattino was arraigned on Thursday on a cost of grand larceny within the second diploma and is scheduled to seem in courtroom once more in April.
Giattino’s legal professional, Bob Macedonio, spoke to Newsday on Thursday, sustaining his consumer’s innocence whereas holding up Giattino’s prolonged profession as a prosecutor for the district legal professional’s workplace.
“Mr. Giattino is a well-respected legal professional in Suffolk County,” he stated. “We consider as soon as we’ve had the chance to assessment all documentation, and persevering with our discussions with the DA’s workplace, we’ll resolve this case in Mr. Giattino’s favor.”
Newsday stated Lengthy Island has been suffering from circumstances much like Giattino’s. Nevertheless, there’s been “little to no motion by state officers” past the New York State Legal professionals’ Fund for Consumer Safety, which helps shoppers recuperate stolen funds.
E-mail Marian McPherson
