The former executive director of Queens Defenders, a New York legal services nonprofit, and a former employee have been sent to prison for a brazen embezzlement scheme that siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from an organization meant to serve indigent clients.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Lori Zeno and Rashad Ruhani diverted more than 400,000 dollars from Queens Defenders and blew the money on foreign travel, luxury shopping sprees, high‑end meals and rent for a penthouse apartment. Judge Rachel P. Kovner sentenced Zeno to 43 months’ imprisonment and Ruhani to 57 months, and ordered them to pay over 656,000 dollars in restitution, along with six‑figure forfeiture money judgments.
The duo’s misconduct, spanning mid‑2024 to early‑2025, turned a public defense nonprofit into their personal ATM, while undermining critical legal and community services for vulnerable New Yorkers.
The case is an unfortunate warning to the legal aid and nonprofit sectors about governance failures, weak financial controls and the reputational damage when trusted leaders exploit mission‑driven organizations for personal gain.
