Monthly report

Attorney discipline, October 2017

15 New York attorney discipline decisions in October 2017: 4 disbarred or resigned under investigation, 7 suspended, 2 censured, 2 reinstated. With links to each decision.

Disbarred or resigned under investigation (4)

• Matter of Clark — Matter of Clark, 2017 NY Slip Op 07517 · Third Department · Resigned while under investigation (treated as disbarment)
• Matter of DeMaria — Matter of DeMaria, 2017 NY Slip Op 07378 · Third Department · Disbarred
• Steven Bruce Cottler — Matter of Cottler, 2017 NY Slip Op 07118 · Second Department · Disbarred
• Alex Hugues Pierre — Matter of Pierre, 2017 NY Slip Op 06999 · First Department · Disbarred

Suspended (1)

• Matter of Roberts — Matter of Roberts, 2017 NY Slip Op 06925 · Second Department · Suspended indefinitely

Interim suspension (6)

• Joshua Abraham Messian — Matter of Messian, 2017 NY Slip Op 07580 · First Department · Interim suspension
• Claude Castro — Matter of Castro, 2017 NY Slip Op 07579 · First Department · Interim suspension
• Brian Dexter Thomas — Matter of Thomas, 2017 NY Slip Op 07544 · First Department · Interim suspension
• Nytaino Romulus — Matter of Romulus, 2017 NY Slip Op 07543 · First Department · Interim suspension
• Matter of Farley — Matter of Farley, 2017 NY Slip Op 07165 · Third Department · Interim suspension
• Matter of DiStefano — Matter of DiStefano, 2017 NY Slip Op 07164 · Third Department · Interim suspension

Public censure (2)

• Matter of Dittakavi — Matter of Dittakavi, 2017 NY Slip Op 07253 · Second Department · Public censure
• Matter of Kaufman — Matter of Kaufman, 2017 NY Slip Op 07030 · Third Department · Public censure

Reinstated (2)

• John Louis Weichsel — Matter of Weichsel, 2017 NY Slip Op 07000 · First Department · Reinstated
• Peter Louis Vitelli — Matter of Vitelli, 2017 NY Slip Op 06926 · Second Department · Reinstated

All months

Source: NY Official Reports (Law Reporting Bureau); current as of October 2026.