Disbarred Port Washington Attorney Charged With Possessing Forged Nassau Court Document

Rice: Holzberg used forged judge’s signature to promise client phony $24K settlement

MINEOLA, NY - Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that a disbarred Port Washington attorney has been arrested and charged with possessing a falsified Nassau Supreme Court document that indicated a settlement had been reached and a judgment ordered on his client’s behalf. Rice said that the document utilized the forged signature of a Nassau Supreme Court judge and that not only was the settlement phony, but the client’s lawsuit had never even been filed.

Brian Holzberg, 53, of Port Washington has been charged with Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Rice said that on or about June 14, 2004, Holzberg was retained by a Great Neck man to help him collect a debt from a business associate. Holzberg presented his client with numerous legal documents proving that he had filed suit in Nassau Supreme Court when, in fact, Holzberg never filed any paperwork.

On or about January 26, 2006, Holzberg presented his client with a document indicating that a settlement had been reached and a judgment rendered on his behalf.  He told the client that he would soon be receiving a settlement check for $24,000. The document bore a signature purporting to be that of Nassau Supreme Court Justice Anthony L. Parga. The client grew suspicious, however, when he never received a check and was unable to reach Holzberg by phone. In August 2008, after contacting Parga’s office, the client was informed that there was no case on file with that title or index number and that Parga had not signed any order in the case.

Holzberg was disbarred in December 2008 after a similar incident in Suffolk County. Rice said that authorities are still unable to determine the motivation for the crime and that investigators cannot determine whether Holzberg forged the signature himself or was utilizing someone else’s forgery.

“Mr. Holzberg violated the trust his client placed in him and he violated the law by trying to cover his tracks,” Rice said. “While his motivation is unclear, the breach of attorney-client trust demands the aggressive prosecution of this case. I don't care if he wears a suit and tie to work, this guy abused his client's trust and he tried to scam a judge and regardless of the color of his collar, that's a crime in my book.”

Handling the case for the DA’s office is Deputy Bureau Chief William Wallace of the DA’s Government & Consumer Frauds Bureau. The defendant is represented by Richard A. Librett, Esq. 

The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.