A Wading River attorney has been indicted for allegedly stealing more than $855,000 from clients and others involved in legal transactions, including money intended for a Southampton home purchase, Suffolk County prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Peter Giattino, 43, the principal attorney at PVG Legal Solutions PLLC, was charged with two counts of second-degree grand larceny, two counts of third-degree grand larceny, first-degree scheme to defraud and petit larceny.
Prosecutors allege Giattino stole a total of $855,480 between October 2023 and October 2025. The alleged thefts involved five clients or transactions, including real estate funds, legal fees and money intended to pay a traffic fine.
The largest alleged theft occurred after Giattino was hired to represent a client purchasing a home in Southampton. The buyer wired $751,687.71 to Giattino on June 13, 2025, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors allege Giattino then withdrew the money using bank checks, ATM transactions and cash withdrawals. He is also accused of spending some of the funds at casinos in New York and other states.
The real estate closing was later canceled, and the buyer hired a new attorney. Despite repeated requests to transfer the money to the new lawyer, Giattino allegedly failed to return it because he had spent all of it by October 2025, prosecutors said.
In a separate September 2024 real estate transaction, Giattino allegedly received a $94,000 down payment while representing the seller. Instead of keeping the money in escrow until closing, prosecutors allege he used it for gambling and cash withdrawals.
Giattino is also accused of accepting $4,500 from a client in October 2023 to pursue a claim involving a damaged vehicle. Prosecutors said he performed no work, stopped responding to the client and did not return the payment.
In October 2024, Giattino allegedly offered to handle a traffic case without charging a legal fee but requested $480 to pay the ticket. Prosecutors said he spent the money on personal expenses and did not tell the client that the ticket remained unresolved.
Another client allegedly paid Giattino $4,450 in June 2025 for assistance with a real estate deed transfer. Giattino is accused of becoming unresponsive, missing appointments, withholding the client’s legal documents and keeping the money.
Giattino was released on his own recognizance. Prosecutors said the charges are not eligible for bail under current New York law.
He is scheduled to return to court Sept. 25 and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top charge. He is represented by attorney George Duncan.
Anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Giattino is asked to call the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office at 631-853-4626.
The case is being prosecuted by the district attorney’s Public Corruption Bureau following an investigation by the Public Corruption Squad.
An indictment is an accusation. Giattino is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
