Police arrested a 54-year-old Garden City lawyer late last month for allegedly stealing approximately $29,000 from a client whom the defendant represented in a personal injury lawsuit arising from an automobile accident, according to Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon.

In July of 1998 the defendant settled a personal injury claim on behalf of his client for $42,500, according to Dillon, and allegedly deposited the full payment in his own bank account and proceeded to use the funds for his own purposes. His client, despite making repeated requests, never received a penny of the settlement money, Dillon said.

The defendant was arraigned June 27 in First District Court in Hempstead. He faces up to seven years in prison if found guilty. The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.