Justice Served: Queens Defenders Co-Founder Jailed For Stealing Thousands From Nonprofit

Lori Zeno, a Garden City woman and co-founder of the nonprofit Queens Defenders, along with her husband Rashad Ruhani, have been sentenced to federal prison for embezzling over $400,000 from the organization. The Jamaica-based Queens Defenders, established by Zeno in 1996 to represent low-income New Yorkers in court, was severely impacted by their actions.

Zeno, 65, and Ruhani, 56, were sentenced Tuesday following their indictment in June 2025. Zeno, who served as executive director from 2018 to January 2025, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy in February, while Ruhani pleaded guilty to the same charge in May. Zeno faces up to 3 years and 7 months in prison, and Ruhani was sentenced to up to 4 years and 9 months.

The couple engaged in a pattern of luxury spending between June 2024 and January 2025, using the embezzled funds for personal indulgences. This included $10,000 for a Bali getaway, $4,000 for a Louis Vuitton handbag, $1,700 at a luxury resort in California, and $39,000 for rent and utilities for a privately used penthouse apartment, which they furnished with a $3,300 85-inch smart television. United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Nocella Jr., condemned their actions, stating, "Instead of upholding the law and serving those in need, the defendants greedily served themselves by spending those funds on luxury goods, lavish travel, and other personal indulgences." Furthermore, Zeno also hired family members and associates of Ruhani who performed minimal or no substantive work.

The organization's board of directors suspended and subsequently terminated Zeno, Ruhani, and his associates. In a victim impact statement, Queens Defenders expressed the profound betrayal, noting that Zeno "weaponized her position of trust to destroy an embedded and impactful provider within the Queens justice system." They highlighted the irony that while clients faced critical legal battles, the defendants were financing a lavish lifestyle with funds meant for their defense.

The "scandal" had devastating consequences for Queens Defenders, which previously represented approximately 16,000 clients annually. The nonprofit now faces "severely strained relationships with [New York] City funders, extra hurdles in recruiting high-quality staff, and a continued exodus of remaining employees." As a result, the organization was forced to shrink dramatically, losing $35 million worth of contracts and shifting its focus solely to providing eviction defense for 1,500 people annually in Queens Housing Court, its last remaining contract with the City of New York.

In a statement read before District Court Judge Rachel P. Kovneron, Lori Zeno articulated the personal toll of her actions: "The man who swore before God that he loved me actually didn’t and the career I had spent over 40 years building ended in disgrace." She expressed deep regret for her mistakes in the latter part of her life, facing a prison sentence instead of celebrating retirement and planning for her role as a grandmother.