PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: May 3, 2007

Contact: William J. Smith (718) 556-7150
William.Smith@rcda.nyc.gov

D.A. Donovan: S.I. Attorney Pleads Guilty to Grand Larceny in Mortgage Scam
***Dennis Vourderis, 51, Pleads Guilty to Top Felony Charge of 2nd Degree Grand Larceny, Faces Sentence of up to 12 Years in Prison***

     STATEN ISLAND, NY - Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. announced today that a Staten Island attorney has entered a guilty plea to charges of defrauding clients of over $600,000 between December 2004 and May 2006. Dennis Vourderis (DOB: 4/27/1955) of Jacobs St. entered a guilty plea to the top charge of Grand Larceny in the 2nd Degree, a Class C felony and the misdemeanor charge of practicing law with a suspended license. As part of a plea agreement entered before Justice Leonard P. Rienzi, he will be sentenced to a period of 3 to 12 years in prison on his June 25, 2007 sentencing date. Vourderis, whose license to practice law was suspended in New York on March 31, 2005, was accused of bilking over $600,000 from clients and cashing two forged checks stolen from a Staten Island real estate firm.

     District Attorney Donovan stated, “Time and again, unsuspecting victims placed their trust and finances in the hands of Dennis Vourderis to act as their attorney. He failed miserably in his professional obligation to protect their interests and by his actions caused immeasurable financial hardship for all involved. Beyond the victims named in the indictment, we believe there are a total of 25 individuals who have lost approximately $2 million to Dennis Vourderis. As part of his plea agreement, we are working to obtain compensation, via Mr. Vourderis’ assets and the attorney compensation fund, for all who have suffered financial losses because of his scurrilous activities.”
     
      Following his arrests in October 2005 and July 2006, Vourderis was indicted by Richmond County Grand Juries on total of 13 felony charges, including: five counts of Grand Larceny in the 2nd Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the 2nd Degree, both Class C felonies, three counts of Grand Larceny in the 3rd Degree, two counts of Forgery in the 2nd Degree, one count of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the 3rd Degree, Class D felonies, and a Class E felony charge of Scheme to Defraud in the 1st Degree. The defendant was also charged with two misdemeanor charges of practicing law with a suspended license.

      The indictment alleged that Vourderis defrauded 8 victims while acting as an attorney in real estate transactions. He was alleged to have cashed the victims’ checks, depositing them into bank accounts but failing to make appropriate payments to lenders or the contra-parties of the transactions. Additionally, in May 2005, while utilizing desk space within a real estate brokerage located in the Pleasant Plains section of the borough, Vourderis was alleged to have deposited two checks, in the amounts of $67,000 and $68,000, from accounts belonging to the real estate firm, that were reported to be stolen and forged by the holder of the accounts.

      The investigation was being conducted by Richmond County District Attorney’s Detective Investigators Gary Mercer and Robert Keating under the supervision of Chief Investigator Robert Turbiak. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jeffrey Curiale and David Frey, under the supervision of ADA Mario Mattei, Chief of the Investigations Bureau. Vourderis is represented by Mark J. Fonte, Esq.

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