‘Preyed upon clients’: Lawyer to pay nearly $800K for defrauding Bronx couple

BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) – A disbarred lawyer has been sentenced to one to three years behind bars for defrauding a Bronx couple of $277,000, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced Thursday.

Paul Frieary, 71, pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny in June 2024. In addition to prison time, the suspect must pay $791,831 in restitution to the couple’s family and nine charities affected by his scheme.

“The defendant preyed upon elderly clients in Riverdale and stole profits from selling their house. His actions amounted to elder abuse and led to grievous financial harm and mental anguish,” Clark said. “He has pleaded guilty and now faces the consequences for his actions, including prison time and repaying the money he stole.”

Court documents allege between July 2014 and January 2021, while working as a lawyer in Riverdale, the defendant took thousands of dollars from the couple in retainer fees while representing them in the closing of their Bronx home.

After receiving money from the closing sale on the home the victims had owned since the 1990s, Frieary never paid the couple the total funds owed. He gave the couple $329,000 and pocketed more than $277,000, according to court documents.

His victims passed away while attempting to collect the money owed to them by the defendant.

Frieary was disbarred in 2020 for predatory practices while acting as an attorney.

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here .

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