Lawyer, court clerk sentenced to prison terms for bribery scheme

A former federal court clerk and a criminal defense lawyer received prison terms Monday for a long-running scheme in which the clerk steered defendants to the lawyer in exchange for cash payments.

The clerk, Dionisio Figueroa, was sentenced to two years in federal prison and the lawyer, Telesforo Del Valle Jr., got one year and a day in separate proceedings at which U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino said they had abused their positions out of greed.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the two men "betrayed criminal defendants, the public, and those who rely on the court to remain impartial."

“The public relies on attorneys and court employees to maintain and validate its faith in our criminal justice system," Williams said in a statement. "Through their actions, Del Valle and Figueroa undermined the fair administration of justice and the work of the many good people in the courthouse who serve the criminal justice system with honesty and integrity. Let these sentences serve as a warning to those who seek to pervert justice for personal gain.”

Figueroa would slip Del Valle's info to defendants

Figueroa worked in the magistrate clerk's office at the federal courthouse in Manhattan and between 2011 and 2022 would quietly slip Del Valle's contact information to defendants or their families. The lawyer would routinely leave envelopes of cash — totaling an estimated $40,000 over 10 years — at his law office for Figueroa's lover to pick up.

In many instances, defendants could have had free public defenders but opted to pay to retain Del Valle based on Figueroa's recommendation. The judge pointed out the irony of Figueroa sitting in court between his two highly-qualified public defenders.

D'Agostino, a judge in the Northern District of New York in Albany, was assigned the case following the March 2023 indictment because Figueroa was an employee in the Southern District. She recognized the positive attributes of each defendant but called the crime "nefarious" and told Del Valle, 66, of Leonia, New Jersey, that the "seriousness of the offense cannot be overstated."

She cited lawyer jokes and said Del Valle had provided fodder for those who frequently impugn the integrity of lawyers.

According to court documents, the two men had a strong friendship that pre-dated the bribery scheme, with Figueroa's family cooking for Del Valle's family when his wife was ill and Del Valle helping cover expenses when Figueroa's father was buried in the Dominican Republic.

Figueroa apologized but insisted that some of the things he was accused of during the trial he did not do.

"I thought I was helping people but in the end I did what was wrong," he said, as he bemoaned the loss of a job he loved and how it has hurt him and his family.

He said he never bought fancy cars or otherwise lived beyond his means.

But the judge said his greed just meant he took what he could get when no one was looking, and that undermined public trust in the court system.

"You don't have to get rich to be guilty of the crimes you committed," she told him.

Colleagues wrote of Del Valle's contributions

Numerous colleagues wrote on Del Valle's behalf, describing the work he would do for indigent defendants and how he was often quick to stand in for other lawyers if they faced health or other emergencies.

Criminal defense lawyer Oliver Storch, who said he considered Del Valle a mentor, said Del Valle was among the first lawyers to offer his midtown offices to downtown colleagues following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Storch said he was hurt, disappointed and even angry after learning of Del Valle's arrest but that his friend's "proven life's work" and efforts to improve people's lives should be considered.

"Ted's fall from grace is a reminder that even the most decent, committed and honorable individuals can engage in aberrant behavior and cross the line into criminal conduct," Storch wrote to the judge.

After sentencing, Del Valle reiterated what he told the judge, apologizing to the court system and his fellow attorneys for his "misdeeds" and saying it was the most painful day in his life.

"I have never been more contrite," he said as he left the federal courthouse in White Plains.

Both men were given until May 14 to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY bribery scheme: Lawyer and clerk who steered referrals sentenced