Disbarred attorney pleads guilty to fraud schemes worth $4.2 million

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A disbarred Rockville attorney pleaded guilty Jan. 9 to theft and fraud schemes worth more than $4.2 million.

Sari Kurland, who was suspended from the practice of law and indicted in 2024 amid an escalating investigation by the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission, entered a plea agreement in Montgomery County Circuit Court on Friday, court records show.

Kurland, 64, pleaded guilty to one count of theft over $100,000 and 15 counts of misappropriation by a fiduciary, and faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, according to the plea agreement.

“This defendant occupied a position of trust as an attorney and fiduciary,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement provided by a spokeswoman. “She betrayed that trust, along with her professional responsibility, by mishandling millions of dollars entrusted to her by clients.”

According to McCarthy’s office, 21 victims gave Kurland $4,216,657 through three separate schemes.

In the largest scheme, 18 victims loaned money to Kurland for a purported oil deal in the Middle East. Repayments were predicated on the sale of oil, and Kurland promised extremely high returns on the loans — in as little as a month. None of the 18 victims got their money back, despite repeated requests.

The second scheme involved two victims and a cryptocurrency deal. They paid her to keep money in her attorney escrow account for just one day to facilitate the transactions, but she spent almost all of the money.

The final victim was a business owner who retained Kurland to help him file for bankruptcy. Instead of filing for bankruptcy, she advised him to settle directly with his debtors. He gave her nearly $150,000 for the settlements, but she paid less than $35,000 to the former clients. The money was commingled in her attorney trust account, and most of it was “disbursed to other parties unrelated to the victim,” according to prosecutors.

The Maryland Supreme Court disbarred her in May 2025. Maryland Bar Counsel Tom DeGonia declined to comment.

Kurland, who is represented by attorneys from Covington & Burling, is scheduled to be sentenced May 28. One of her lawyers said she had also been scammed.

“With Friday’s guilty plea, Ms. Kurland has begun the process of taking responsibility for the fact that many people lost money because of her actions,” Covington partner Daniel Suleiman stated in an email.

“There are important mitigating circumstances surrounding the events that led to her plea, however, including that Ms. Kurland herself was the target of a complex overseas scam. We look forward to demonstrating that context at sentencing.”