A 49-year-old real estate attorney, Steven H. Salami, has admitted to stealing over $1 million from at least 60 clients, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago. Salami, from Hazlet, pleaded guilty to second-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity in Monmouth County Superior Court.
He was disbarred in December 2019, shortly after the initial charges were filed against him.
The investigation began with four victims who were scammed out of nearly $300,000 between April and August 2019.
Salami collected funds for real estate transactions, placed them in escrow, but failed to complete the work he was paid for, resulting in missed closing dates and nullified transactions.
Following his arrest in August 2019, further investigations revealed dozens more victims, leading to a 63-count indictment returned by a Monmouth County Grand Jury in July 2021.
Although the case was paused until November 2023, the Superior Court Appellate Division allowed the reinstatement of two previously dismissed counts of the indictment.
Salami’s sentencing is set for January 17, 2025, where prosecutors will seek a 10-year prison sentence and restitution for more than $1 million reimbursed to victims by the New Jersey Lawyers Fund for Client Protection.
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