Small Law Firms

Partner's Son Was So High On Drugs That He Didn't Realize He'd Embezzled Six Figures From Firm

He was actually 'surprised' by the amount he'd taken from the firm.

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A law firm partner’s son recently pleaded guilty to bank fraud after embezzling $827,000 from the firm while he worked there as office manager. The details on the crime, however, are pretty sketchy because the partner’s son was so high on drugs.

Anthony Calaiaro, 34, worked at his father Donald’s firm, Calaiaro Valencik, from June 2014 and April 2016, and during that time, he forged a partner’s name on about 500 checks, all made payable to himself. He was indicted last year after an FBI investigation into the firm’s suspicious bank activity. Calaiaro entered his plea last week before Judge David Cercone (W.D. Pa.). The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more information on what happened at the hearing:

After [Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee] Karl read a description of his crimes, the judge asked Mr. Calaiaro if he agreed. He and his lawyer, Linda Cohn, said he’d been on drugs at the time so couldn’t recall all that happened. He had made a confession to the FBI, acknowledging that he had stolen money, but he wasn’t sure of how much he’d taken or how many checks he’d deposited.

“I just don’t remember,” he told the judge.

“He was surprised at the amount,” Ms. Cohn said.

No one from the firm was in court to witness Calaiaro’s guilty plea, and perhaps for very obvious reasons, not even his own father appeared to support his son.

Partner’s son admits to embezzling $827,000 from Pittsburgh law firm [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
Partner’s son admits embezzling $827K from law firm, says details are fuzzy because of drugs [ABA Journal]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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