Disbarred Teaneck Lawyer Continued to Practice ,Stole Client Funds

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Teaneck NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of BARRY D. FRIEDMAN (DOB: 11/15/1961; married; self-employed as an attorney) of 474 Linden Avenue (Rear), Teaneck, NJ on charges of Misapplication Of Entrusted Funds, Theft By Deception, and Unauthorized Practice Of Law. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti.

In May 2018, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit received information from the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics regarding Barry D. FRIEDMAN, Esq., whose attorney trust account on three occasions reached a negative balance and who failed to comply with Attorney Ethics regulations. In January 2018, the New Jersey Supreme Court temporarily suspended his license to practice law in New Jersey, and in April 2018, FRIEDMAN agreed to disbarment by consent which was finalized on May 23, 2018. FRIEDMAN continued to practice and receive benefits after the disbarment order.

An investigation revealed that FRIEDMAN continued to practice law and receive payment from new clients. His previous attorney trust account was seized by the court, so new payments he received were deposited into his business and personal account, which he used for his own purposes.

Barry D. FRIEDMAN was arrested on January 22, 2019 in Teaneck, NJ and charged with one count of Misapplication Of Entrusted Funds, with the amount involved being greater than $100,000, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-15, a 2nd degree crime; one count of Theft By Deception, in the amount greater than $100,000, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4, a 2nd degree crime; and one count of Unauthorized Practice Of Law, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:21-22(b)(2), a 3rd degree crime. FRIEDMAN is scheduled for a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ on Wednesday, February 06, 2019 at 9:00 a.m.

Acting Prosecutor Calo states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.