June 2, 1999

QUEENS LAWYER CHARGED WITH SCHEMING TO DEFRAUD MANHATTAN LAW FIRM BY DIVERTING POTENTIAL CLIENTS' TELEPHONE CALLS

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today the arrest of a Queens lawyer on charges of scheming to defraud a Manhattan law firm of potential clients by surreptitiously diverting the firm's weekend telephone messages and then contacting the clients himself.

District Attorney Brown said, "The defendant's alleged actions are surprising in both their simplicity and their deviousness. The defendant, who was admitted to the bar in April 1998, is alleged to have engaged in a subterfuge that is not only unethical but criminal as well. He is accused of routinely calling the answering service of another law firm on weekends, falsely identifying himself as a partner in that firm, obtaining the firms messages from potential clients and then contacting those clients with the intention of representing them."

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Mason Blake Pimsler, 33, of 37 Manors Drive, Woodbury, New York. He is an associate at the Queens law firm of Mallilo and Grossman and was admitted to the bar on April 8, 1998. He is charged with Scheme to Defraud, Falsifying Business Records and Misconduct by an Attorney. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of the charges.

According to the charges, every weekend from March 1998 to last weekend, the defendant contacted the ABC Answering Service retained by the Manhattan Law firm of Rosenberg, Minc and Armstrong purporting to be Daniel Minc, a partner in the firm, and obtained from the unsuspecting answering service messages left for the firm from potential clients. He then allegedly returned the calls setting up appointments at his firm with the clients. In this way, it is alleged, he obtained numerous new clients for his firm.

District Attorney Brown said that the alleged scheme was discovered by Rosenberg, Minc and Armstrong firm when a client called to complain to the firm that the car service they were supposed to send for him had not arrived. Members of the firm inquired of the client further and discovered that an individual who identified himself as Daniel Minc had contacted their answering service over the weekend and obtained the client's name and telephone number. The firm then contacted the District Attorney's Economic Crime Bureau which undertook an investigation. About one month ago undercover detectives of the District Attorney's Detective Bureau posing as potential clients called the Rosenberg firm left messages indicating that they were seeking representation in three lawsuits. According to the charges, that same weekend all three calls were returned by the defendant who had obtained the messages.

The defendant was arrested this morning by Detectives Richard Scantlebury and Glenn McKechnie, under the supervision of Lt. Al Velardi, of the District Attorney's Detective Bureau which is headed by Chief Edward T. Brady and Deputy Chief Lawrence J. Festa.

Assistant District Attorneys Robert C. Ciesla of the District Attorney's Integrity Bureau and John A. Scarpa of the District Attorney's Economic Crimes Bureau are assigned to the case. The Integrity Bureau is headed by Assistant District Attorney Vincent J. Carroll. The Economic Crimes Bureau is headed by Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Mansfield. Both bureaus are under the supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney Robert D. Alexander.

It should be noted that an arrest is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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