Brooklyn Defender Services has taken over Queens Defenders and its $32M contract after its former director was charged in a fraud case.

Brooklyn Defender Services replaces Queens Defenders on a $34 million contract after its founders plead not guilty to fraud charges.

Though Queens Defenders’ former executive director, Lori Zeno, had yet to be charged with fraud at the time, she had been booted from the organization by Queens Defenders’ board of directors after ...

The change follows a period of disarray at Queens Defenders during which the organization’s founder and executive director, Lori Zeno, became a defendant herself.

Former Queens Defenders chief Lori Zeno pleaded not guilty to fraud after allegedly misusing nonprofit funds for luxury expenses.

Lorelei “Lori” Annette Smelser, 71, of Greenwood, IN, passed away peacefully at home on June 21, 2025. She was born on July 31, 1953, in Greenfield, IN, to Kenneth Clark and Norma (Clark ...

Lori Daybell found guilty in murder conspiracy trial Lori Daybell, the mother convicted of murdering two of her children in a so-called doomsday plot, has now been found guilty of conspiring with ...

Jun. 20, 2025 By Bill Parry The founder of the Queens Defenders and her husband have lawyered up after they were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars ...

Jun. 20, 2025 By Bill Parry The founder of the Queens Defenders and her husband have lawyered up after they were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars ...

Lori Zeno and her husband are accused of spending at least $60,000 of the organization's funding on personal expenses.

Former Queens Defenders Executive Director and founder Lori Zeno appeared in court in Brooklyn on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to fraud charges.