Prosecutor: Area Attorney Pleads Guilty to $1.2 Million Theft from 60 Clients

An area real-estate attorney who stole nearly $1.18 million from 60 clients has pleaded guilty to the theft, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Wednesday.

During a hearing held on before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Christie Bevacqua, 49-year-old Steven H. Salami of Hazlet pleaded guilty to the theft’s official charge of second-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity.

The initial investigation into Salami’s activities, conducted by the MCPO Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Unit, focused on four victims defrauded out of nearly $300,000 from April through August of 2019.

In his capacity as an attorney, the investigation showed, Salami accepted funds from each victim for various real-estate transactions, putting the money in escrow, but failed to do the work for which he was paid. These actions resulted in missed closing dates and nullified transactions for the victims, among other issues.

Following Salami’s August 2019 arrest, the investigation continued, uncovering dozens of additional victims and leading to a 63-count indictment being returned by a Monmouth County Grand Jury in July 2021.

The case was then put on hiatus until the Superior Court Appellate Division in November of 2023 granted the state’s appeal to restore two counts of the indictment that had been previously dismissed by a lower court.

Sentencing in the case has been tentatively scheduled for Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, at which time the state intends to recommend a term of 10 years in prison, plus payment of restitution to the New Jersey Lawyers Fund for Client Protection, which had reimbursed the victims.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office