Indicted And Disbarred

The New York Appellate Division for the First Judicial Department has accepted the resignation and disbarred an attorney recently indicted for practice-related misconduct.

Specifically, respondent acknowledges that he received settlement funds from 24 separate clients and converted the funds, totaling $549,267.18, to his own personal use, without permission or authorization from any of the individual clients

A Westport man with a personal-injury law practice in New York City has been indicted on charges that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from more than a dozen of his firm’s clients, including a man who died of cancer before collecting money he was owed and an injured 96-year-old woman.

Stephen R. Krawitz, 62, of Ludlow Road was charged Monday in New York with two counts of first-degree scheme to defraud, a class E felony; four counts of second-degree grand larceny, a class C felony, and 15 counts of third-degree grand larceny, a class D felony, according to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.

Krawitz was arrested by Westport police at his home last Friday. He was taken into custody after New York City detectives asked for local police assistance in locating Krawitz, who was the subject of an arrest warrant with their department, according to Westport police.

Officers found Krawitz at home, where he was taken into custody without incident, police said.

Vance said Krawitz stole more than $600,000 from settlements obtained for the benefit of more than a dozen of his legal clients.

“While these alleged crimes were taking place, one of Stephen Krawitz‘s clients died of cancer without ever receiving the full settlement money rightfully owed to him,” Vance said in a statement announcing the indictment.

(Mike Frisch)