A disbarred Long Island attorney has been sentenced to two to six years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $573,000 from clients she represented in real estate transactions. Acting Nassau County Court Judge Francis Ricigliano (See Profile) sentenced Yvonne DeBenedetto, 46, on April 8. She pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny in 2011.
In one instance, a client gave DeBenedetto, of Bay Shore, a $260,000 check to be held in escrow for a home purchase. After the deal fell through, the client asked for her money back. When DeBenedetto issued two refund checks in December 2009 and January 2010, both bounced. In another case, DeBenedetto took more than $180,000 held in escrow after the sale of a client’s home.
