NEW YORK, Dec 30 (Reuters) - A Long Island real-estate
attorney was formally banned from practicing law in New York
after he admitted to trying to pay a government official $250
to expedite his request for public information on a property.
The Appellate Division, Second Department, on Thursday
granted a motion by the Grievance Committee for the Tenth
Judicial District to disbar Frederic Powell, who pleaded guilty
in March to grand larceny, criminal possession of a forged
instrument and attempted bribery.
According to the court record, Powell admitted to stealing
property worth more than $50,000 and to putting a person's name
on a mortgage without her knowledge or consent.
He was also caught in 2010 trying to bribe a Hempstead
Township clerk to speed up a request he made under the Freedom
of Information Law for information on a piece of property.
According to a statement from Nassau County District
Attorney Kathleen Rice, Powell was told by the clerk that it
would take up to five days to process his request. Powell told
the clerk that he needed the information that day and put a
$100 bill on the counter, asking if it would be possible to
expedite the process.
After the clerk said that there was nothing she could do to
speed up the request, Powell pushed a second $100 bill across
the counter, according to prosecutors. When the clerk refused,
saying she would call him when she received the requested
information, Powell crumpled up and threw a $50 bill at the
clerk.
The clerk returned all of the money to Powell before he
left, the DA said. A spokeswoman for Rice said that Powell's
case is still active and that he has not yet been sentenced.
Powell could not immediately be reached for comment on
Friday. He did not oppose the grievance committee's motion for
disbarment and did not respond to the disciplinary action,
according to the court ruling.
The case is In the Matter of Frederic Powell, in the
Supreme Court for the State of New York, Appellate Division:
Second Judicial Department, No. 2009-04002.
For the disciplinary committee: Daniel Mitola of Hauppauge,
N.Y.
(Reporting by Jessica Dye)
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