A Philadelphia lawyer was sentenced Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, to 15 to 30 months in state prison for the theft of more than $980,000 from the estate of his cousin who had hired him as the executor of his will.

Aaron S. Friedmann, 63, of Conshohocken, pleaded guilty on Aug. 23 to theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and access device fraud.

On Monday, he appeared before President Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr. who sentenced him to 15 to 30 months in state prison, 10 years of probation.

Friedmann was also ordered to repay the $981,023, which he took from his cousin, the late Dr. Sheldon S. Farber. Most of the money was designated for charity organizations.

“You stole the legacy of a very generous and kind man,” Bateman added.

Assistant District Attorney Jose A. Perez said Freidmann not only betrayed his family, but also his profession in taking the money.

The investigation began in March 2017 when the Lower Southampton Township Police Department received a theft report from a lawyer representing the estate of Farber, who passed away four years earlier.

The attorney told police that Farber created a will in December 2006 and named Friedmann as the executor of the will. At the time, Friedmann was an attorney at Disability Law Advocates Group in Philadelphia.

As part of his responsibilities in the execution of the will, Friedmann handled the monetary aspects of the estate, which included access to a Citizens Bank account set up for Farber’s estate.

The investigation revealed that on Feb. 14, 2013, a check for $200,000 was written out from Farber’s estate account and deposited into a bank account belonging to Disability Law Advocates Group.

Further investigation uncovered a total of 81 fraudulent transactions committed by written checks or withdrawals from Farber’s estate account to the Disability Law Advocates Group’s bank account or Friedmann’s personal bank account.

The total theft was in excess of $981,023.

This case was investigated by the Lower Southampton Township Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jose A. Perez.

Media Contact: Manuel Gamiz Jr., 215.348.6298, mgamiz@buckscounty.org.