Former Pct. Council Prez Jailed For Fraud
The former president of the 104th Precinct Community Council began serving a year-long jail sentence on Tuesday, Apr. 9, after admitting to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Glendale man’s estate, prosecutors announced.
Michael Hetzer, 53, of 69th Avenue in Ridgewood pled guilty on Feb. 26 to a charge of second-degree grand larceny. In addition to be sentenced to a year in prison by Judge Pauline Mullings in Queens Criminal Court on Tuesday, Hetzer also signed “a confession of judgment” for $200,000, according to a spokesperson for Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
Hetzer-an attorney who previously served as president of the 104th Precinct Community Council, vice president of Citizens for a Better Ridgewood and second vice chairperson of Community Board 5-was arrested last May by the NYPD Queens District Attorney Squad for the theft of $200,000 in funds which he had been asked by the administrator of the Glendale man’s estate to hold in escrow.
According to the criminal complaint, the funds were the proceeds from the sale of several properties which the Glendale man formerly owned. Hetzer was reportedly provided in Feburary 2008 with two $100,000 checks by the administrator to be deposited in the attorney’s IOLA state escrow account.
In exchange for those services, authorities noted, Hetzer was provided with a $25,000 payment. The attorney then deposited the checks into his escrow account in March.
Prosecutors said the Glendale man’s estate became involved in litigation in December 2008, and the administrator and an attorney sought to contact Hetzer regarding the escrow funds.
Despite numerous attempts to contact him and obtain bank records, it was reported, Hetzer failed to respond.
The estate then contacted the Queens District Attorney’s office, which launched an investigation through the DA’s NYPD Squad. An examination of records for Hetzer’s escrow account found that as of Dec. 30, 2011, just $10,135 remained.
Hetzer was taken into custody by Det. Kevin Kehoe of the NYPD Squad on May 3, 2012. Shortly after his arrest, he stepped down from his civic posts.
