Defendant allegedly forged victim’s signature on court filings, retainer agreement
NEW YORK — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced charges July 15 against a Florida man accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from six Russian-speaking victims in New York while posing as an attorney. The defendant was never registered to practice law.
David Manasher, a 44-year-old from Margate, Florida, was arraigned July 15 on a 20-count indictment charging him with second-, third- and fourth-degree grand larceny; first-degree immigrant assistant services fraud; second-degree forgery; first-degree offering a false instrument for filing; practicing law or appearing as attorney-at-law without being admitted and registered to practice; and first-degree scheme to defraud.
“David Manasher is accused of stealing over $90,000 from his victims, including those who sought to lawfully obtain their immigration benefits,” said Arvelo. “He allegedly exploited his customers and our nation’s immigration system for his own financial gain. HSI New York’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force is committed to identifying and investigating such crimes to ensure New Yorkers can feel as secure as possible, even — and especially — when they’re vulnerable. We are proud to work with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners in ensuring the public’s safety and overall wellbeing remain a priority.”
Arvelo thanked the Brooklyn DA’s Investigations Division and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for their outstanding collaboration.
According to the investigation, between Dec. 1, 2020, and March 15, 2024, the defendant defrauded six people out of approximately $93,000 while posing as a lawyer specializing in landlord-tenant, immigration and contract law. The defendant allegedly stole amounts ranging from approximately $2,000 to approximately $65,000. All six victims are Russian-speaking and either resided or worked in Brooklyn. They retained the defendant through various referrals and paid him in the belief that he was a licensed attorney. In one matter, the defendant allegedly forged a victim’s signature on both a court filing and a retainer agreement.
One of the victims reported the defendant to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, which launched an investigation.
“As alleged, this defendant deceitfully portrayed himself as a practicing attorney to exploit the trust of New Yorkers in need of legal services,” said Gonzalez. “Instead of helping them, the defendant allegedly took advantage of them and lined his own pockets at their expense. We will now seek to hold him accountable for his alleged criminal actions.”
HSI’s investigation was conducted by its Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, a specialized investigative group comprising personnel from various state, local and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity and benefit fraud schemes.