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Michelle Byrd, age 53, of Hempstead, was arraigned Wednesday, March 8 on one count of grand larceny and 180 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
“The victims of this alleged scheme included adults with Cerebral Palsy, stroke victims, and a woman who had lost her arms and legs due to medical malpractice," Donnelly said.
DA Donnelly said that, according to the investigation, Byrd worked for a Nassau County-based law firm that manages trusts for special needs clients. An attorney at the firm served as a trustee on trust accounts that supported seven clients and was the authorized signatory permitted to make disbursements and manage the beneficiaries’ bank accounts and transactions.
Byrd served as a case manager and was in frequent contact with trust beneficiaries regarding their financial needs.
From 2014 to 2021, the defendant allegedly, without permission or authority to do so, wrote hundreds of checks to herself from seven trust accounts, causing losses of approximately $526,553. It is alleged that Byrd forged the signature of the trustee on checks and forged bank statements to conceal the theft, the DA said.
In April 2021, one of the trust accounts that Byrd helped manage was transferred to Chase bank. Chase bank emailed checks to the law firm’s controller for review, court documents show.
On Wednesday, April 7, 2021, the controller received an email of a check for review drawn on a trust, allegedly payable for $2,500 to Byrd, that was allegedly signed by the trustee.
The trustee reviewed the transaction, and the check was canceled. At that point, the law firm terminated Byrd's employment, and, after a short internal review, referred the matter to the District Attorney's Office in May 2021.
Byrd, who faced a maximum of 15 years in prison, pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance, the DA said.
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