Brooklyn DA probes Hynes over use of forfeiture money
An investigation into the murder of Brooklyn attorney Mark Schwartz and his wife, Christina Petrowski, has unearthed a far-reaching financial and real estate scam in which the two were apparently involved. Four individuals and three corporations have been indicted for a criminal conspiracy in which they stole more than $1 million from clients of Schwartz’s law firm and one of the corporations under investigation, Adonis Abstract, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes announced today. The defendants allegedly carried out the scheme, which included recruiting straw buyers to take part in fraudulent real estate transactions, as well as money laundering, identity theft and larceny, between 2006 and 2009. Properties and victims targeted were located in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, New Jersey and Delaware.
Eventually, the indictment says, three of the individuals charged turned on Schwartz and began to steal from his law firm. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison. The investigation into the murders of Schwartz and Petrowski is ongoing. TRD
