The former director of a Queens public defender organization was sentenced on Tuesday to three-and-a-half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy for looting the nonprofit for personal gain.
Queens Defenders cofounder Lori Zeno, 66, and ex-husband Rashad Ruhani admitted to stealing more than $400,000 from the nonprofit, which provided legal services to 16,000 low-income New Yorkers in criminal and civil courts each year, ultimately destabilizing the decades-old institution.
Ruhani, who also used to work for the organization, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison. Both also agreed to pay more than $650,000 in restitution. They were also ordered to pay more than $100,000 each in forfeiture money judgments.
Federal prosecutors accused the pair of using the organization’s funds on a trip to Bali, a stay at a luxury hotel in California, pricey restaurant meals and luxury shopping sprees. Prosecutors said they also used the nonprofit’s money to rent a penthouse apartment, buy an 85-inch smart TV and get their teeth whitened.
“Lori Zeno did not just steal funds; she weaponized her position of trust to destroy an embedded and impactful provider within the Queens justice system,” the organization said in a letter to the judge ahead of her sentencing. “While our clients were facing the most terrifying moments of their lives — facing criminal charges and fighting for their freedom — the defendant was using the funds meant for their defense to finance a life of obscene luxury.”
Zeno tearfully apologized in court and said she was ashamed that the career she had spent 40 years building “ended in disgrace.” Zeno said she had spent the last year trying to understand how she had allowed her life to spiral out of control while in a relationship with a man she thought would love her forever. She declined to comment outside of court after the sentencing.
When Zeno and Ruhani’s actions came to light, Queens Defenders lost $35 million in contracts to represent low-income clients, as well as several city and state contracts to provide community support, according to the letter. The organization still exists but in a much diminished capacity.
About 150 employees were forced to transfer to Brooklyn Defender Services, which provides lesser benefits, according to the letter, while dozens of staff members lost their jobs.
The ripple effects of the scheme also destroyed several of Queens Defenders’ community programs, including the closure of food pantries and a justice center in Far Rockaway. The organization also ran out of money to provide holiday meal giveaways, summer youth employment programs, basketball tournaments and educational programs about constitutional rights.
The organization asked for “a sentence that reflects the scale of this total betrayal.”
This is a developing story and may be updated.
