LAWYER PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGALLY SOLICITING CLIENTS IN MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE FRAUD

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that an attorney has pleaded guilty to violating the state’s Judiciary Law by illegally soliciting clients in a multi-million-dollar automobile insurance fraud ring. The attorney’s Brooklyn law firm has also pled guilty as a corporate entity to enterprise corruption.

District Attorney Brown said, "Insurance fraud is a crime that affects us all, mainly by increasing the auto insurance rates for honest drivers. The defendant’s acts as an individual and through his law firm were committed to further a corrupt, cynical and fraudulent scheme that ripped off a system designed to insure motorists and protect consumers."

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Volf Birman, 29, of 4 Hanover Avenue, Staten Island, who operated a professional corporation, the Law Office of Volf Birman, P.C., at 205 Avenue U in Brooklyn. The defendant entered a plea of guilty to violating Judiciary Law Section 482, Employing an Individual to Illegally Solicit Clients, before Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter and was ordered to pay a fine of $2,500. The law firm pled guilty to Enterprise Corruption. Disciplinary proceedings against Birman who faces disbarment are pending.

In pleading guilty Birman admitted that he employed Marina Goldshtayn, his office manager, and that she illegally solicited individuals to take part in a scheme to create bogus accidents and submit fraudulent claims to various auto insurance companies in order to receive settlements.

Goldshtayn previously pled guilty to Attempted Enterprise Corruption and on May 1, 2002 paid restitution of $50,000. Goldshtayn admitted that she made payoffs to various "runners" who brought individuals to her who were to pose as legitimate claimants and assert that they had been auto accident victims when actually they had not been.

Assistant District Attorney Peri A. Kadanoff of the District Attorney's Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Gerard A. Brave and Marc P. Resnick along with Assistant District Attorney Khadijah Muhammad-Starling of the District Attorney's Integrity Bureau under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney James M. Liander and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco prosecuted the case.