A former Stony Brook attorney was sentenced to prison on Thursday for stealing more than $800,000 from his clients. Douglas Valente, 57, pleaded guilty to three counts of grand larceny in the second degree in December 2023.
According to prosecutors, Valente’s crimes spanned several years and involved a variety of schemes. In one instance, he stole $181,201 from an elderly client by failing to send the proceeds from the sale of her home to her matrimonial attorney. In another, he embezzled $248,027 from a mortgage lender by misappropriating funds from a refinance transaction.
Perhaps the most egregious offense involved Valente’s theft of nearly $400,000 from a client who had sold a home during a pending divorce proceeding. Valente was supposed to hold the proceeds in escrow, but instead, he used the funds for his own personal and business expenses.
Valente’s actions were so egregious that he was disbarred by the New York Grievance Committee for the Tenth Judicial District in May 2022.
On Thursday, Justice Richard Ambro sentenced Valente to one and one-third to four years in prison. The judge also ordered Valente to pay restitution of $826,525 to the victims.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office praised the work of the prosecutors and investigators who brought Valente to justice.
“An attorney’s duty is to protect their clients’ interests, not exploit them for personal gain,” said District Attorney Ray Tierney. “We will not tolerate crime committed with a law degree any more than we would when committed by violence or deception.”
