Freehold Attorney Who Bilked Client out of $237K Gets Jail Time

A former Freehold attorney who misappropriated over $237,000 from a client received a four-year prison sentence, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced Friday.

Deirdre Przygoda, 48, pleaded guilty in November to a second-degree charge of misapplication of entrusted property. Superior Court Judge Francis J. Vernoia handed down the sentence Friday and ordered Przygoda to pay $237,444 in restitution to the victim.

According to the press release, a homeowner contacted Przygoda in 2009 to represent her as she refinanced the mortgage on her home. Przygoda received more then $237,000 to pay off the homeowner’s original mortgage. The funds were deposited into Przygoda’s attorney trust account but Przygoda never paid the original mortgage as required, authorities said. The homeowner now has  two mortgages attached to her property and the property is now in foreclosure, according to the press release.  An examination of Przygoda’s accounts revealed that she removed the funds from the account.

Assistant Prosecutor Michael J. Costanzo of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau conducted the case for the prosecutor. Przygoda was represented by Julia S. Dasaro-Drescher of Middletown.