Hewlett resident sentenced to six months for grand larceny

Ira Kurman, 55, the former executive director of the Island Child Development Center, a government-funded facility that provided special education services to children, in Far Rockaway, was sentenced to six months in jail, five years of probation and has to pay $650,000 in restitution, after pleading guilty on March 26 to grand larceny for his role in embezzling $17 million intended for the facility.

Along with Roy Hoffman, 54, of Woodmere and Daniel Lanaido, 44, of Brooklyn, Kurman was accused of diverting more than $12 million in state aid to relatives, their businesses, jewelry, a wedding and home renovations. Rabbi Samuel Hiller, 60, of Far Rockaway, the center’s former assistant director also pleaded guilty to embezzling $5 million in city and state funds that were expected to be used for the center, in April of last year.

Hiller was sentenced to one to three years in prison and must pay $5 million in restitution. Hoffman was sentenced to six months in jail, five years of probation and had to pay $180,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to grand larceny. Laniado pleaded guilty to identity theft and signed a confession of judgment for $1.3 million, he received no jail time and must pay $82,000 in restitution.

Justice Richard Buchter sentenced Kurman at the state Supreme Court in Queens. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said the state’s comptroller’s office referred the case to his office after notifying the center they were planning an audit. “When state auditor arrived for the meeting in July 2012,” Brown said, “they were informed that Kurman had left his position and had taken his books and records with him.”