A disbarred attorney with a former registered office address in Great Neck has been charged with grand larceny and scheme to defraud for allegedly stealing more than $133,000 in real estate down payments from multiple clients across the Bronx, Queens, and Suffolk County.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that Marco Materassi, 59, of Dania Beach, Florida, was arraigned before Judge Sean Wright on four counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. Materassi pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on February 19, 2026. If convicted, he faces up to 2⅓ to 7 years in prison.
“Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions that people make, and clients deserve to work with reliable attorneys who can handle their money with honesty and professionalism,” Donnelly said. “Marco Materassi allegedly swindled clients out of more than $133,000 and betrayed their trust.”
According to prosecutors, complaints were filed in 2024 and 2025 alleging that Materassi unlawfully withheld escrow funds from several real estate transactions and failed to return down payments to buyers and sellers he represented. An investigation by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office determined that between November 2023 and January 2024, Materassi allegedly withheld a total of $133,950 from three clients and one opposing party.
Investigators said down payments were wired or deposited into the bank account of Materassi Legal P.C., listed at 55 Northern Boulevard in Great Neck. Materassi was reportedly the sole authorized signatory on the account.
In one case involving the sale of a Bronx home in November 2023, Materassi allegedly failed to return $30,000 that was supposed to be held in escrow after the seller vacated the property. In another Bronx transaction, a $25,000 down payment was never produced at closing after Materassi allegedly told the seller his firm would cease operations.
Additional alleged misconduct involved a Forest Hills, Queens, transaction where a $47,800 down payment was never remitted, and a Ronkonkoma property sale where a buyer’s $31,150 deposit was never returned.
Bank records showed the law office account was closed in December 2024 with a negative balance. Prosecutors allege that Materassi used escrow funds for personal expenses, including restaurant purchases, gas stations, and transfers to unrelated bank accounts.
Materassi was officially disbarred by the Appellate Division, Second Department, on June 18, 2025, and surrendered to Nassau County authorities on January 22, 2026.
Anyone who believes they may be a victim of Marco Materassi is urged to contact the Nassau County District Attorney’s Criminal Complaint Unit at 516-571-3505.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
