Mineola, NY – A Floral Park real estate attorney pleaded guilty Thursday to embezzling more than $1.7 million from his clients’ escrow accounts and using the money on nightclubs, luxury hotels, and adult entertainment venues, prosecutors said.

Terrance Dougherty, 39, of Oyster Bay, entered guilty pleas before Judge Christopher Hoefenkrieg to 13 counts of second-degree grand larceny and one count of first-degree scheme to defraud. He is expected to receive a sentence of 3½ to 10½ years in prison when he appears in court on November 6.

Prosecutors said Dougherty ran his scheme from March 2021 through November 2024 while working as a real estate attorney on Jericho Turnpike. He stole down payments and sales proceeds from more than two dozen clients, often causing property closings to collap

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