Attorneys: Nassau has $2M payment backlog

Some attorneys who represent the poor under Nassau's assigned counsel program say the county has not paid them for months and that as of late October, there was a $2 million fee backlog.

Stenographers, translators and legal experts who work for the assigned counsel program -- through which the indigent who qualify are assigned one of 400 lawyers by the courts -- have also not been paid.

"There had been no warning that the payment process would be delayed, and no one can provide a straight answer as to when payments will be received," said Rockville Centre attorney Virginia Conroy, who says she is owed about $19,000.

Conroy has filed a demand for payment -- a move that can lead to litigation -- with Nassau County Attorney John Ciampoli and County Executive Edward Mangano.

Ciampoli blamed the delays on the assigned counsel program and the retirement of a woman who used to process the vouchers in another county office. He said his office began temporarily doing the work after she left and that Nassau recently assigned more workers to help.

Ciampoli said the legal program didn't submit work vouchers quickly and that some were incomplete.

"Had I not agreed to do a good deed and have the work picked up temporarily, none of this ever would have passed the doorstep of this office," Ciampoli said. "This isn't my program."

Robert Nigro, administrator of the legal program, said the loss of the county worker was part of the problem, but he added that the county wouldn't accept any vouchers in July and August. Ciampoli said his office was too overwhelmed with vouchers at that point.

Nigro said his office submitted $5,706,597 in vouchers this year. It has processed 6,500 vouchers in 2011 compared with 6,400 for all of 2010, he said.

"What this office has been striving very mightily to do is get the vouchers through the system," Nigro said.

Unlike Conroy, who blames the county for the delays, Garden City attorney Paul Delle said the assigned counsel program is responsible.

Conroy said since last week he has received about $6,000 that he was owed but he said the remaining vouchers need to be paid quickly.

"I believe that if the overdue funds are not disbursed before Thanksgiving there will be a landslide of litigation," Delle said.

Jostyn Hernandez, spokesman for County Comptroller George Maragos, said Nassau budgeted $6.4 million for 2011 assigned counsel expenses and paid out $3.9 million through Nov. 1.