Former Melville attorney sentenced for stealing $413,237 from client funds

A Suffolk County real estate closing built on trust ended with a lawyer taking $413,237 that was supposed to pay off a property loan, a breach that prosecutors said went straight to the core of what clients expect when they hand over closing funds.

Michael Tulchiner, 61, of Bellmore, was sentenced April 15, 2026, to 90 days in jail and five years of probation after pleading guilty in January to grand larceny in the second degree, a Class C felony. Tulchiner was the former principal attorney at The Law Office of Michael J. Tulchiner in Melville, and the money came from his mortgage disbursement account, the kind of account that is supposed to hold and release funds only for a specific transaction.

Prosecutors said Tulchiner was hired to represent a client at the closing of a real estate deal that required paying off a prior loan on the property being sold. He ordered a bank check for $413,237 on Aug. 26, 2022, then redeposited the money into his account three days later instead of delivering the payment. A bank-account analysis later showed the money was spent on firm-related expenses and other unrelated costs between August and December 2022.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said Tulchiner was arrested and arraigned after the conduct came to light, then pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins on Jan. 27, 2026. As part of the plea agreement, he was ordered to pay $499,000 in restitution and agreed to forfeit his law license.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney called the conduct a “calculated abuse of trust” and said attorneys who betray their duty will be exposed and prosecuted. The case was handled by Assistant District Attorney Tara K. O’Donnell of the Public Corruption Bureau and investigated by the Public Corruption Squad, underscoring how a routine closing can become a serious financial crime when client money is diverted instead of protected.