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Queens Defenders Founder Lori Zeno Pleads Guilty to Wire-Fraud Conspiracy

Prosecutors seek a four-to-five-year prison term with sentencing set for April 20.

Queens Defenders Executive Director Lori Zeno, center, with attorney Sanford Rubenstein and Rev. Kevin McCall, addresses the media outside the Queens courthouse following the arraignment of Police Officer David Afanador on Thursday, June 25, 2020, in New York. Afanador pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of strangulation and attempted strangulation over an altercation last weekend on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk. Video shows Afanador with his arm wrapped around a man’s neck for several seconds during an arrest. (AP Photo/Kevin Hagen).
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Overview

  • In Brooklyn federal court, Zeno admitted charging personal expenses to Queens Defenders’ corporate cards and mislabeling them as business charges.
  • Her plea stipulates taking at least $150,000, while prosecutors allege the scheme exceeded $300,000 between June 2024 and January 2025.
  • Federal prosecutors are urging a 51- to 63-month sentence under the guidelines, with formal sentencing scheduled for April 20.
  • Court filings describe spending on a $6,000-a-month Astoria penthouse, trips to Bali and Southern California, an 85-inch TV, and a $4,000 Louis Vuitton bag.
  • After the financial scandal, the city reassigned Queens Defenders’ roughly $32 million contract to Brooklyn Defenders, and charges remain pending against Rashad Ruhani and Kimberly Osorio, with Ruhani’s trial set for June 1.