Ex-Brooklyn judge accused of swindling real estate investors out of millions of dollars
Federal prosecutors say the pair used fake property pitches to take $6.5 million from two investors and kept most of the money.
- On Wednesday, FBI agents arrested Kings County Supreme Court Justice Edward Harold King and developer Sam Sprei on wire fraud conspiracy charges involving a $6.5 million investment scheme.
- Sprei presented investors with a fictitious opportunity to purchase commercial real estate in Freehold, New Jersey, requiring them to deposit $6.5 million into an escrow account ostensibly overseen by King, a sitting judge.
- A federal judge released King on a $250,000 bond and Sprei on a $500,000 bond Wednesday after their court appearance, as both face wire fraud conspiracy charges carrying up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
- King resigned on Dec. 31, 2025, after a judicial conduct investigation into similar fraud allegations, while Sprei currently faces multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of operating comparable investment schemes.
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36 Articles
Former Brooklyn judge, developer arrested in alleged $11M fraud scheme
A former Brooklyn Supreme Court judge and a real estate developer have been arrested in connection with an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving investor funds tied to a New Jersey property deal, according to Gothamist.Federal prosecutors allege Edward Harold King, a former Supreme Court justice in Brooklyn and developer Sam Sprei solicited millions of dollars from investors, describing the deal as a secure real estate investment.
Former Judge Charged in $6.5 Million Real Estate Fraud Scheme
Associated Press News
Ex-Brooklyn judge accused of swindling real estate investors out of millions of dollars
A former New York City judge who resigned last year while under investigation for professional misconduct has been charged with abusing his position to swindle real estate investors out of at least $5 million and then using some of the loot to pay his own bills.
Former judge, developer charged with $6.5M real estate fraud in N.J.
A former New York judge and a developer teamed up to peddle bogus real estate deals, including one involving a Monmouth County property, cheating two investors out of millions, federal authorities said.FBI agents on Wednesday arrested former Kings County Supreme Court Justice Edward Harold King and developer Sam Sprei following an investigation into a scheme that allegedly defrauded investors in a Freehold property deal.
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