A former Melville-based attorney has been sentenced to jail and probation after admitting to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a client during a real estate transaction, Suffolk County prosecutors said.
Michael Tulchiner, 61, of Bellmore, was sentenced on April 15, 2026, to 90 days in jail and five years of probation after pleading guilty to second-degree grand larceny. The charge stems from his theft of funds that were intended to pay off a client’s loan as part of a property sale.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Tulchiner was representing a client during a real estate closing in 2022. As part of that transaction, funds from a refinance loan were placed into his mortgage disbursement account and earmarked to pay off an existing loan on the property.
Prosecutors said Tulchiner was required to send $413,237 to a mortgage company to complete the transaction. While he initially obtained a bank check for that amount on Aug. 26, 2022, authorities said he never delivered it. Instead, he redeposited the funds back into his account three days later.
An analysis of his bank records revealed the money was later spent on expenses related to his law firm and other unrelated costs, rather than the authorized purpose tied to the property sale.
Tulchiner pleaded guilty on Jan. 27, 2026, before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins. As part of his plea agreement, he was ordered to pay $499,000 in full restitution and agreed to forfeit his license to practice law.
Second-degree grand larceny is a Class C felony in New York, carrying significant potential prison time.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said the case represents a breach of professional trust.
“This former attorney now stands convicted and sentenced for stealing from a client,” Tierney said in a statement. “This was a calculated abuse of trust, and it ends in public disgrace, restitution, and accountability.”
Tulchiner was represented by attorney Scott Gross. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Tara K. O’Donnell of the Public Corruption Bureau, with the investigation conducted by the District Attorney’s Public Corruption Squad.
Photo: SCDA
