Bronx man who posed as an attorney and swindled New Hyde Park woman sentenced to up to three years

Noah Manskar

A Bronx man was sentenced to up to three years in prison Thursday for misrepresenting himself as an attorney and conning two Nassau County residents, including one from New Hyde Park, out of nearly $30,000.

Mario Tolisano, 65, pleaded guilty in June to a felony charge of third-degree grand larceny and had also faced a fourth-degree grand larceny charge as well as misdemeanor counts of practicing or appearing as an attorney-at-law without being admitted and registered. 

In a statement, acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said her office will continue working to catch criminals posing as lawyers.

“This defendant pretended to be a real estate attorney, but he was in fact a con artist who swindled hardworking Long Island families out of thousands of dollars,” she said. Tolisano was hired by clients in New Hyde Park and Valley Stream in 2012 and 2013, respectively, for legal help with loan modifications

He charged the former out of $3,000 for his false legal services and in June 2013 for another $20,000 in real estate taxes that she later learned were paid by the bank handling her mortgage. 

The latter paid him $2,500 in legal fees in September 2013 before learning in March 2014 that he never contacted her bank about a loan modification.

Tolisano’s attorney, Dawn Florio of Manhattan, could not immediately be reached for comment.

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