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Disbarred Attorney Defrauded $1.2M From Clients – Above the Law

One
of
the
best
things
about
hiring
a
lawyer
is
that
they
work
on
your
behalf.
Sure,
they
can
be
expensive,
but
the
value
you
gain
in
return
should
be
worth
more
than
the
money
you
spend.
Unless,
of
course,
they
just
take
your
money
without
the
whole
working
for
it
thing.
On
the
bright
side,
that’s
usually
grounds
for
them
to
get
disbarred.

AOL

has
coverage:

A
disbarred
real
estate
attorney
from
Hazlet
admitted
that
he
fleeced
60
clients
out
of
$1.2
million
in
escrow
funds
by
failing
to
do
work
on
real
estate
deals.

Steven
H.
Salami,
49,
pleaded
guilty
before
Superior
Court
Judge
Christie
Bevacqua
to
a
charge
of
financial
facilitation
of
criminal
activity,
an
offense
that
carries
a
penalty
of
up
to
10
years
in
prison,
Monmouth
County
Prosecutor
Raymond
S.
Santiago
said
Wednesday.

Offering
context
for
his
client’s
actions,
Salami’s
attorney
noted
that
his
client
had
a
serious
substance
abuse
and
gambling
problem
for
years.
That
doesn’t
excuse
the
fact
that
he
failed
to
do
good
by
his
clients,
but
it
may
be
an
opportunity
for
his
clients
and
the
judges
to
empathize
with
his
predicament.
Considering
the
New
Jersey
Fund
for
Client
Protection
reimbursed
his
victims
and
the
state
is
expected
to
restitute
the
misappropriated
funds,
there’s
a
clear
opportunity
for
him
to
redeem
himself.
And
who
knows,

he
may
even
be
allowed
to
practice
again
after
he
repays
his
debt
to
society
.

If
you
or
someone
you
know
is
struggling
with
gambling
addiction
and
is
in
need
of
help,
the

National
Problem
Gambling
Hotline
 has
resources
for
you.
There
is
also
lawyer
assistance
program
 in
your
state
that
may
be
able
to
help
you.
(Don’t
be
fooled
by
the
name;
these
programs
also
provide
services
to
law
students).
Please
reach
out
if
you
need
assistance.


Disbarred
Hazlet
Real
Estate
Lawyer
Admits
To
Defrauding
60
Clients
Out
Of
$1.2
Million

[AOL]


Earlier:


Were
You
Disbarred
In
New
Jersey?
You
May
Be
Eligible
To
Practice
Again
.



Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
 He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
cannot
swim, a
published
author
on
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor
,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected] and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.