Lawyer (Interim President) Is Charged In $2 Million Cemetery Theft; Second Major Embezzlement In 4 Years

by Gary Snyder

The interim president is charged with embezzling $2 million from a New York cemetery is due back in court next month.

He was arrested on felony grand larceny charges for allegedly embezzling around $2 million from United Hebrew Cemetery in Staten Island between October 2012 and January 2014.

An investigation led by New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman revealed that Mr. Griffin allegedly made six unauthorized wire transfers ranging from $250,000 to $385,000 to his own attorney escrow account during his tenure as acting president of the non-profit.

Mr. Griffin had been put in charge of the cemetery to replace someone connected with a similar crime.

Mr. Griffin was the cemetery’s lawyer before being named acting president by its board following the dismissal of ex-president Arthur Friedman, according to the attorney general’s indictment.

Mr. Friedman’s wife, Ilana, was convicted of felony grand larceny charges in April 2013 after stealing over $850,000 between 2005 and 2011, when she had served as the organization’s bookkeeper. (source)

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