Daphna Zekaria, a Syosset attorney who admitted taking nearly $400,000 from her own clients, is headed to jail after a Suffolk County judge handed down a six-month sentence and five years of probation on Friday. Zekaria, 56, had pleaded guilty last year and was allowed to remain free while she waited for sentencing in a case that prosecutors say stretched from Long Island to Manhattan and involved escrow transfers and money from a New York State Lottery winner.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Zekaria pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025, to two counts of grand larceny in the second degree, one count of grand larceny in the third degree, scheme to defraud in the first degree, and criminal contempt in the second degree. Prosecutors said they had pushed for a prison term of three to nine years, and Justice Richard Ambro instead imposed the shorter jail term while ordering significant restitution for the victims.
How prosecutors say she siphoned client money
Court filings outline three different schemes in which Zekaria is accused of quietly converting client funds to cover her own personal and business expenses. Appellate Division records state that she allegedly pulled about $150,000 from an escrow account tied to a divorce and home sale in early 2022, moved roughly $230,000 that a lottery winner had entrusted to her in 2021, and used a $17,500 advance from a Manhattan client in 2023 on household bills and credit card payments.
Sentence and victims' fallout
Multiple clients are still waiting to be made whole, and some have publicly described themselves as victims of a brazen scam. Daily Voice reports that Zekaria was ordered at Friday’s hearing to report for a six-month jail term, to be followed by five years of probation, after having remained free up until sentencing.
Legal fallout and disbarment
Her guilty plea set off automatic professional consequences. The Appellate Division ordered her name stricken from the roll of attorneys effective May 21, 2025, and directed her to comply with the rules that apply to suspended lawyers. Appellate Division records note that the Attorney Grievance Committee moved to revoke her license after the criminal convictions.
The Suffolk County DA’s office also said Justice Ambro ordered Zekaria to pay $373,500 in restitution by May 2026, with a potential two to six years in prison hanging over her if she does not comply. Prosecutors said they intend to keep pushing to secure repayment for victims, and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office added that the case was handled by its Public Corruption Bureau and that additional alleged victims have already come forward.
