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Friday, May 9, 2025
Vol. 2, No. 19
THE GATEWAY TO NASSAU COUNTY SERVING FLORAL PARK, BELLEROSE AND STEWART MANOR
FP attorney accused of stealing $1.2 million from clients
SERVING THE COMMUNITY
Students at Floral Park Memorial High School teamed up with local Rotary Clubs to package meals for those facing food insecurity on May 2. See page 6
Bridging business and community at FP Chamber BY RIKKI MASSAND
The Floral Park Chamber of Commerce is maintaining its momentum through the early months of 2025, with
excitement building for the special Belmont Stakes Street Fair on Tulip Avenue, scheduled for Friday, June 6, from 5 to 10 p.m. Prominent residents are eager to fos-
ter connections and welcome neighbors getting together for good times and good causes. Among those embodySee page 2
The Floral Park Villager Published every Friday by Litmor Publishing Corp. Telephone 931-0012 Postmaster: Send Address Change to: The Floral Park Villager, 821 Franklin Ave., Suite 208 Garden City, N.Y. 11530 • Meg Norris, Publisher
A Floral Park attorney has been accused of embezzling more than $1.2 million from the escrow accounts of 20 individuals, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. According to the DA, Terrance Dougherty, 36, used client funds on personal expenses, including adult entertainment clubs, nightclubs, other luxury lifestyle purchases, and to carry on his law practice unrelated to the victims’ real estate transactions. Dougherty, a resident of Oyster Bay, was arraigned on two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (a C felony); three counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a D felony); and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (an E felony). He pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted he would face up to 5 to 15 years in prison. “This defendant shamelessly embezzled more than a million dollars from dozens of individuals who trusted him to handle property sales and purchases, according to the charges. Some of those transactions unfortunately fell through because of the defendant’s alleged theft,” said DA Donnelly. “Instead of acting as a fiduciary and safeguarding his clients’ funds, this defendant allegedly burned through their money on high-roller nights out at gentleman’s clubs and other entertainment venues. It is a
Terrance Dougherty disgraceful abuse of trust between an attorney and his clients, and I will not tolerate it.” DA Donnelly said that Dougherty was a practicing real estate attorney with an office on Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park representing clients in the sale and purchase of property. According to the District Attorney, Dougherty maintained an Attorney Trust Account in which he held client funds from various real estate transactions, including down payment funds and sale proceeds. She said that an investigation showed that between March 2021 and November 2024, Dougherty withheld sale proceeds or down payment funds from at least 20 individuals. Many of the transactions See page 2
Friends of the Library Lawn Sale PAGE 12 Gardens alive with Birds and Bees PAGE 3