Posted on: June 12, 2025 07:45 AM

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Founder of NYC public defender office is charged with fraud

A founder of the Queens Defenders, a public defender office in New York City, has been charged with diverting tens of thousands of dollars from the organization and using it for personal expenses including a vacation in Bali, rent for a luxury apartment and teeth-whitening procedures.

The founder, Lori Zeno, and her husband, Rashad Ruhani, were charged with wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy and theft of funds, according to an indictment unsealed on Wednesday by federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York.

The Queens Defenders is one of several nonprofit organizations that are paid through city, state and federal contracts to represent criminal defendants who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. Ms. Zeno helped found the organization in 1996 and served as its executive director from 2018 to 2025, earning more than $400,000 in 2023.