Overview
- Federal sentences handed down Tuesday in Brooklyn gave Lori Zeno 43 months in prison and Rashad Ruhani about 57 months after both pleaded guilty to stealing from Queens Defenders.
- The court ordered the pair to pay more than $650,000 in restitution and separate forfeiture money judgments of roughly six figures each to repay the nonprofit.
- Prosecutors said Zeno and Ruhani diverted funds for expensive travel, penthouse rent, luxury shopping and cosmetic services, and they admitted to taking more than $400,000 in total.
- Staff impact statements and court filings say the scandal cost Queens Defenders about $35 million in contracts, forced roughly 150 employees to transfer with reduced benefits, closed community programs and left thousands of clients with fewer legal services.
- Queens Defenders was founded in 1996 and served thousands each year, and Zeno is set to surrender to federal custody in late September as advocates, former staff and the judge disputed how much blame and mitigation should affect the sentence.