Summary: A personal injury lawyer from Westport is charged with stealing over $600,000 from his clients.
As of Monday, Stephen Krawitz, a personal injury lawyer from Westport, has been charged of doing the thinkable: stealing large sums of money from his clients. He won settlements for 18 clients between Nov. 3, 2008 and March 12, 2014, but in all cases but two pocketed the full settlement.
Krawitz, 62, has bagged an estimated $600,000 from his clients, who are mostly elderly. One of them, Robert Rough, 74, received a $100,000 settlement after suffering a car accident in 2008 that damaged his nerves making him unable to keep his business. Krawitz stole $65,000 from him, and kept the news of the settlement secret for years, despite his family’s inquiries. Rough finally died of cancer this year, without receiving any portion of his own money.
Another of his victims included a 96-year-old great-grandmother, and many were older clients.
Krawitz owned Stephen R. Krawitz, a personal injury law practice. Through his firm he earned about $935,000 for his clients, but in most cases failed to inform them if they won the settlement.
According to a release from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the 21-count indictment against him includes two counts of scheme to defraud and 19 counts of grand larceny.