Disbarred Queens Attorney Sentenced to 54 Months for Defrauding Real Estate Clients

Published Nov. 6, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

Real-estate closing funds parked in an attorney escrow account are not a personal piggy bank. On Feb. 4, 2025, disbarred attorney Hyun W. Lee (also known as Michael Lee) was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court to 54 months in prison for wire fraud after defrauding real-estate clients and counterparties of escrow funds [1].

Status: Lee pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December 2023. Judge Pamela K. Chen ordered $3.27 million in forfeiture and about $3.29 million in restitution [1].

What the case involved, according to prosecutors

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York [1]:

1. Lee, already disbarred, used his attorney escrow account in a scheme that diverted client and counterparty funds.
2. The court ordered multimillion-dollar forfeiture and restitution tied to the wire-fraud conviction.

The person sentenced

Hyun W. Lee (a.k.a. Michael Lee), Queens, New York. Disbarred attorney. Sentenced to 54 months for wire fraud [1].

Case status (as of Nov. 6, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Hyun W. Lee (a.k.a. Michael Lee)	U.S. District Court, E.D.N.Y. (Judge Pamela K. Chen)	Pleaded guilty Dec. 2023; sentenced Feb. 4, 2025 to 54 months; ~$3.29M restitution; $3.27M forfeiture	[1]

Statuses can change, including through appeal.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, “Disbarred Queens Attorney Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Defrauding Clients,” Feb. 4, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/disbarred-queens-attorney-sentenced-54-months-prison-defrauding-clients