LI Man Stole Millions From Mom To Fund Lavish Party Lifestyle: DA

A Roslyn man was arrested on Wednesday for stealing more than $4.5 million from his mother to fund a lifestyle that included private jets, a $100,000 bottle of champagne and Super Bowl box seats, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said.

The DA says 24-year-old Samuel Bernstein stole the money from an account controlled by his mother, who used it to fund a charity for wheelchair tennis players. From June 2015 to June 2017, Bernstein allegedly accessed the account electronically and used the funds to:

• Pay for night clubs, hotels, private jets, Super Bowl box seats, rent and a $100,000 bottle of champagne;
• Pay off American Express, Capital One and Chase credit cards that belonged to his friends;
• Transfer money to various account using mobile payment services – including Venmo, Paypal, Squareup and Plastiq— to then obtain cash.

“[Bernstein] is accused of pilfering his mother’s bank account for at least two years and using that money to fly on private jets and buy $100,000 bottles of champagne,” Singas said in a press release. “The victim set aside this money to support a charitable cause, but because of her son’s alleged actions more than $4.5 million was wasted on extravagant expenses.”

His mother became aware of the alleged theft in April 2017 and filed a complaint in Manhattan. The case was then referred to the NCDA.

Bernstein was arraigned Thursday on first-degree grand larceny and second-degree aggravated harassment charges.

Authorities say Bernstein, via text message, also threatened to harm a law enforcement officer's family and destroy his mother's home on Thursday.

Bail was set at $750,000 bond or $650,000 cash and Bernstein is due back in court on June 11. An order of protection for his mother was also issued.

He faces a maximum sentence of 8-1/3 years to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top charge.

Image via NCDA