NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A disbarred Queens lawyer on Monday pleaded guilty to charges that he swindled dozens of clients out of more than $1.8 million.
Yohan Choi, 47, of Bayside, was charged in two separate criminal complaints and has pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the fourth degree.
Choi was accused of defrauding clients he was hired to represent by helping them to settle lawsuits and then refusing to hand over the money rightful owed to them, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Katz said the investigation into Choi’s practices began when a woman claimed she hired Choi to represent her in a personal injury lawsuit in November 2016.
The woman claimed that the case was settled for $52,500 and she was entitled to over $35,000, however, she never received any of the money.
Another female client alleged Choi pulled a similar stunt when she hired him to represent her in May 2018. He allegedly settled that suit for $75,000 but never turned over the $50,000 owed to his client, despite the insurance company depositing a check.
Katz said Choi would have the insurance companies deposit the cash from the settlements into one of the several bank accounts he held at Chase, Capital One and HSBC.
The DA’s office alleged Choi repeated the scheme at least 50 times over the course of five years.
“Clients due varying sums – from as little as $1,000 to more than $50,000 – were left empty-handed,” Katz office said in a release.
In all, Choi is accused of swindling his clientele out of more than $1.8 million.
“As a member of the bar, this defendant took an oath to uphold the law. Unfortunately, his greed overpowered his sense of duty,” Katz said in a statement.
Choi’s license to practice law was suspended in November 2017.
He is set to be sentenced on April 6. Queens Criminal Court Judge Eugene Guarino has indicated he will order Choi to serve 1.5 to 4.5 years in prison.
Choi has also signed 28 confessions of judgment to repay the money owed to his victims.
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