Another Disbarred Attorney Fails To Escape Criminal Prosecution; Booted In November, Lawyer Now Gets Pinched For Pilfering Funds From Client/Seller In Real Property Deal, Stealing From Dead Client In Estate Matter; Losses To Victims Estimated Between $250K-$500K

From the Office of the Passaic County, New Jersey Prosecutor:

• Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes announces the arrest on March 30, 2017 of Lawrence G. Tosi, age 58, of Woodland Park, New Jersey by members of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit.
  
  Tosi, formerly an Attorney-At-Law, licensed in the State of New Jersey, is charged with two counts of Theft by Deception (Second Degree) (NJSA 2C: 20-4); two counts of Misapplication of Entrusted Property (Second Degree) (NJSA 2C:21-15) ; one count of Forgery (Fourth Degree) (NJSA 2C:21- 1(a)); one count of Bad Checks (Second Degree) (NJSA 2C:21-5(b)) and one count of Tampering with Records (Fourth Degree) (NJSA 2C: 21-4(a)).
  
  The charges arise out of Tosi’s law practice, where Tosi is alleged to have stolen client funds.
  
  In one case, Tosi is alleged to have failed to turn over funds to a client he represented as a seller in a real estate transaction. In another case, Tosi is alleged to have failed to turn over client funds in an estate matter. In both cases, Tosi converted the misapplied funds to his own use. At this time the approximate total amount of theft is in the range of two hundred fifty thousand dollars to five hundred thousand dollars.
  
  Tosi maintained a law office at various times in Little Falls, Wayne and most recently in Woodland Park, New Jersey. Tosi was admitted to practice law in 1990. By order dated November 1, 2016, the New Jersey Supreme Court disbarred Tosi and ordered his name stricken from the role of Attorneys.
  
  Clients who have suffered financial loss as a result of attorney dishonesty can file a claim for reimbursement with the NJ Lawyer’s Fund for Client Protection(1) in Trenton, New Jersey.
  

Source: Former Attorney Arrested For Theft Of Client Funds.

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(1) The New Jersey Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection was established to reimburse clients who have suffered a loss due to dishonest conduct of a member of the New Jersey Bar.

For similar "attorney ripoff reimbursement funds" that attempt to clean up the financial mess created by the dishonest conduct of lawyers licensed in other states and Canada, see:

• Directory Of Lawyers' Funds For Client Protection (February 2017) (includes a listing for Canadian client protection funds, courtesy of the American Bar Association);
• Check the USA Client Protection Funds Map;
• Check the Canada Client Protection Funds Map.

Maps available courtesy of The National Client Protection Organization, Inc..