Bayville Insurance Agent Bilked Client Out of Nearly $180K

Victim sent Lombardi checks meant for insurance companies; defendant kept money for personal expenses

MINEOLA, NY - Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that a Bayville insurance broker has been charged with grand larceny after stealing nearly $180,000 from a client who thought she was purchasing essential insurance for her commercial properties.

Gilante Lombardi, 42, was arrested this morning by DA Investigators and charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree. He faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned later today in First District Court, Hempstead.

Rice said that between January 2005 and August 2007, Lombardi collected $179,556 from a Searingtown woman who thought she was paying insurance premiums on seven commercial properties that she owned, including strip malls and shopping centers in Elmont and throughout Queens. In reality, the insurance policy Lombardi had purchased for the victim had been canceled in June 2005 after Lombardi’s checks to the insurance company bounced, completely unbeknownst to the victim. Lombardi kept collecting the victim’s checks, however, and used them to pay for groceries, car repairs, medical expenses and retail purchases.

The theft was discovered by the victim in July 2007 when the victim tried to file a claim for damages after two of her properties suffered weather damage. Lombardi gave her several excuses as to why he had not filed a claim on her behalf before finally admitting in a voicemail that she had no coverage. The victim is also currently facing three lawsuits, including two slip-and-fall cases, with no insurance.

“This defendant abused his position and the trust of his client,” Rice said. “He left an innocent property owner unprotected and financially vulnerable, and he will be held accountable for his actions.” 

Assistant District Attorney Megan Gallagher of the Government & Consumer Frauds Bureau is handling the case for the District Attorney's Office. Lombardi is represented by Howard Birnbach, Esq.