Nassau County Court Judge William Donnino sentenced Garden City attorney Kathleen Trum of Brooke Street to one to three years in prison, according to Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon. Trum was arrested by the DA's Special Investigations Bureau July 1, 2003. On Jan. 18 of this year she pled guilty to the top count of grand larceny in the second degree, a Class C felony, in satisfaction of the indictment. In addition to her sentence, Trum was ordered to make full restitution totaling $376,542.70 to two estates ($349,645.18 & $26,897.52).

According to Dillon, "Kathleen Trum was retained to represent a client in his role as executor and trustee of a personal estate. In November 2001, after distributions were paid to beneficiaries under the trust and the will of the deceased, $405,596.18 of the estate remained. Trum advised her client that she would put that money in a separate escrow account for 'safekeeping.'"

Dillon continued, adding, "Between November 2001 and April 2002 certain authorized disbursements were made, reducing the balance to $374,522.10. After April 17, 2002, the client authorized disbursements totaling $32,076.02 in fees for another attorney and an accountant, while at the same time, the estate received an additional $7,199.10 in tax refunds.

"No other disbursements were authorized between April 17, 2002 and January 2003, nor did the client receive any bills, invoices or other documentation regarding disbursement of additional funds. Yet by January 31, 2003, a total of $4,230.14 was all that remained in the account. Bank records show that during this time period the account was depleted by the defendant, who withdrew or transferred to her own account a total of $349,645.18 from the escrow account. Upon further investigation our office uncovered an additional $26,897.52 that was taken illegally by Trum from the escrow account of another client of hers," Dillon concluded.