A Huntington attorney has pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $400,000 from her clients.
In August 2021, Daphna Zekaria, a partner at the Huntington law firm of Sokolski and Zekaria, P.C., was hired to represent a woman in her divorce and, later, for the sale of her marital home. Between December 29, 2021, and March 4, 2022, Zekaria received approximately $150,000, which were the proceeds of the sale of her client’s home. Zekaria was to hold the funds in her escrow account to be dispersed when the client’s divorce was finalized. Instead, Zekaria allegedly used the funds for personal and business expenses.
In December 2021, Zekaria was hired by a New York State Lottery winner, and made promises to hold a portion of her client’s money in the firm’s escrow account and invest an additional portion on his behalf. Instead of holding the money or investing it, Zekaria did neither. She instead made large transfers of money to other individuals which she would not have been able to, had her client’s funds not been deposited into her account. Zekaria collected a total of $230,000 from the victim in three separate transactions.
Additionally, in March 2023, Zekaria was retained by an elderly Manhattan woman to assist her in contesting eviction proceedings. Zekaria took $17,500 from the victim to represent her, but performed no legal work on her behalf. After the victim requested her money back 13 days after providing the payment, Zekaria had spent the victim’s money on LIPA payments and credit card bills.
On May 21, 2025, Zekaria, 54, of Syosset, pleaded guilty to the following charges before Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro:
- Two Counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class C felony
- Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony
- Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a Class E felony
- Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor
Ambro ordered Zekaria to pay a restitution of $373,500 by May 2026 or face two to six years in prison. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office recommended a sentence of three to nine years in prison. Zekaria’s law license is presently suspended while the Attorney Grievance Committee of the First Judicial Department continues disbarment proceedings against her.
“The deliberate theft of nearly $400,000 from client escrow accounts represents a serious violation of professional duty and criminal law,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “This guilty plea ensures this defendant will be held accountable to make her clients whole for this egregious abuse of trust.”