An attorney from Bellmore was arrested and arraigned for allegedly stealing money that was designated to pay off his client’s loan as part of a real estate transaction.
Michael Tulchiner, the principal attorney at The Law Office of Michael J. Tulchiner, based in Melville, is alleged to have stolen $413,237 from his mortgage disbursement account between August 2022 and December 2022.
According to the investigation, Tulchiner was hired to represent his client at the closing of a real estate transaction. Part of the closing required Tulchiner’s client to pay off a prior loan on the property that was being sold. He was provided with a refinance loan on behalf of his client, a portion of which was designated specifically to be used to pay off the prior loan.
The refinance loan was placed in Tulchiner’s mortgage disbursement account, and he was authorized to use the funds only for the designated purpose of paying the required amounts to close on the sale of the property. Tulchiner was required to pay $413,237 to a mortgage company for his client, and he ordered a bank check for that purpose on August 26, 2022. However, rather than delivering that check, Tulchiner redeposited the money back into his account on August 29, 2022.
An analysis of Tulchiner’s bank account revealed that he subsequently spent the money on expenses related to his firm and unrelated to the authorized transaction.
On August 8, 2025, Tulchiner, 61, was arraigned before District Court Judge John B. Zollo for Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class C felony. Zollo ordered Tulchiner released on his own recognizance. His charge is considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law, meaning prosecutors cannot ask for, and judges cannot set bail.
“The allegations against this attorney represent a gross violation of the trust that the victim placed in him as an attorney and a fiduciary,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “The attorney-client relationship is an essential element of our society, and my office will not tolerate professionals using their state licenses as a license to steal.”
Tulchiner is due back in court on September 2, 2025, and faces five to 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count.
Anyone who believes they have been victimized by Tulchiner is asked to call the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office at (631) 853-4626.