Ex-lawyer from Patchogue charged with stealing $70,000 from real estate clients

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. Credit: Newsday/A. J. Singh
A former Patchogue attorney was indicted on grand larceny charges, accused of stealing more than $70,000 from two clients in real estate sales, prosecutors said Thursday.
A Suffolk County grand jury indicted Daniel Fier, 40, on two counts of grand larceny after prosecutors said he never released funds held in escrow during two home sales in 2022 and 2023.
Fier, who was disbarred last year, was arrested Monday by Suffolk County public corruption investigators. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday when he was arraigned on the indictment in Riverhead and was placed on supervised release.
His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
"Alleged theft by professional misconduct is just as serious as any other larceny," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement.
Prosecutors said Fier was representing a property owner in a 2022 sale and collected a down payment of $13,450 from a buyer that was put in escrow. Although he was required to hold the money, he failed to release the funds to the seller once the sale was complete and instead used it for his own personal expenses, prosecutors said.
During another sale in October 2023, Fier was acting as a referee on a property auction. Fier deposited $65,000 from the property buyer in his attorney escrow account, prosecutors said. He was accused of spending the money on personal expenses and did not release the buyer’s funds a month later when the sale closed.
He is scheduled to return to court Feb. 4 and could face between 5 and 15 years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors ask anyone who believes they were a victim in similar cases to call the district attorney’s office at 631-853-4626.
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