The former principal attorney of a Great Neck law firm who now lives in Florida has been indicted for allegedly stealing $30,000 from a real estate escrow account over a five-day span.
According to the investigation, it is alleged that Marco Materassi, the former principal attorney at Materassi Legal, P.C., based in Great Neck, was hired in 2024 to represent the seller in a real estate transaction. On January 26, 2024, a contract was entered into for the sale of a home, in which the buyer was required to make a $30,000 down payment. Both parties agreed that the down payment would be kept in Materassi’s trust account until the closing date, at which time the down payment was to be received by the seller.
Prior to the closing, an issue arose, and the buyer and seller agreed to terminate the contract. The buyer was to receive his refunded down payment deposit of $30,000 from Materassi. When the parties to the real estate transaction attempted to obtain the money, they contacted Materassi…