Frank Seddio: Sprei Escrow Case, Patronage, and Lawsuits

Frank Seddio is a former Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman, retired Surrogate’s Court judge, and current New York City Board of Elections commissioner whose law practice and party dealings have drawn a federal fraud lawsuit, a state-court sanctions hearing, and investigative reporting into judicial patronage and campaign spending. He has not been criminally charged in any of the matters described below.

Who Frank Seddio Is

Seddio grew up in Canarsie, went to Tilden High School and Brooklyn College, and earned his law degree at St. John’s University School of Law. He spent more than twelve years in the New York City Police Department, then held senior posts at the city Department of Transportation, and served on Brooklyn’s Community Board 18 as district manager and later chairman.¹

He was elected to the New York State Assembly in November 1998 and became a Brooklyn Surrogate’s Court judge in 2005.¹²³

In September 2012, Seddio was elected chairman of the Kings County Democratic County Committee, replacing Vito Lopez, who had resigned amid a sexual harassment investigation.⁴⁵⁶ In January 2025, the New York City Council’s Democratic caucus unanimously approved him as a commissioner on the New York City Board of Elections.⁷

The Sprei Escrow Case and Federal Fraud Lawsuit

The most serious matter around Seddio right now is his representation of Yechiel “Sam” Sprei, a Brooklyn real estate businessman. Swiss investor Angelos Metaxas and the New Zealand firm Pertshire Investments LP had deposited $2 million into an escrow account held by Brooklyn attorney Mark David Graubard as proof of funds for a proposed deal with Sprei. When they tried to recover the money, Graubard allegedly stalled and demanded they release Sprei from liability first.⁸ Court filings later showed that on the day the $2 million was deposited, Graubard moved the entire sum to a shell company called 536 Holdings LLC, and the escrow account was then closed.⁹

According to Lauren Zimmerman of Selendy Gay PLLC, who represents the investors, Seddio was brought in during February 2025 to file a Brooklyn Supreme Court action on behalf of an entity called Olden LLC, which the investors describe as fictitious, seeking a restraining order to block the return of the escrow funds.⁸

In October 2025, Metaxas and Pertshire filed a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York accusing Seddio, Sprei, and Graubard of fraud. The complaint alleges Seddio engaged in “blatant forum and judge shopping,” submitted “knowingly false sworn statements,” and filed a “bogus action” to prevent recovery of the money. It also alleges he orchestrated a conflict-of-interest maneuver, through an attorney hire, to force the recusal of a judge who had ordered the disputed funds deposited with the court.¹⁰

The Impersonation Testimony

In state court, the investors moved for sanctions against Seddio for frivolous conduct. At a sanctions hearing before Justice Francois Rivera in Brooklyn Supreme Court in June 2026, Seddio testified that Sprei had been impersonating him by using his password-protected e-filing credentials and digital signature to make court filings without his knowledge. Asked how many of the filings cited as frivolous had actually been made by Sprei rather than by him, Seddio estimated “all of them,” referring to eight specific acts.¹¹

On cross-examination, Seddio was shown a January 2026 email sent from his account pressuring Graubard to withhold the escrow funds. He initially denied sending it, then identified Sprei as the likely author. He also testified that he had not reported the impersonation to law enforcement, though he said he had since changed his password. The hearing was adjourned and set to resume in July 2026.¹¹

The Call to Judge Rivera

On December 23, 2025, Seddio called Judge Rivera on his personal cell phone, ostensibly to discuss the appointment of a former law secretary to an acting supreme court judgeship. At a later hearing, Rivera publicly admonished Seddio, told him not to call the line again, and warned that a repeat would draw sanctions.¹²

Federal Charges Against His Client

In May 2026, a federal criminal complaint was unsealed charging Sprei and Edward Harold King, a former Kings County Supreme Court justice, with wire fraud conspiracy. Prosecutors allege the two defrauded investors of millions of dollars by soliciting money for fictitious real estate opportunities and diverting it for personal use, including a November 2024 transaction in which Sprei allegedly induced investors to wire $6.5 million into an escrow account held by King, with most of the funds later transferred to Sprei. The charge carries a maximum of twenty years in prison.¹³ Seddio has not been charged in the criminal case.

Judicial Patronage and Abrams Fensterman

A March 2025 investigation by New York Focus detailed a financial relationship between Seddio and the law firm Abrams Fensterman that continued throughout his years as party chairman. When Seddio took the chairmanship in 2012, New York’s “Kaye rules” required him to sever his partnership with the firm so that it would not receive lucrative court-appointed work in guardianship, estate, and foreclosure matters. He formally resigned as an equity partner, but the payments continued.¹⁴

Between 2013 and 2018, Seddio received between $595,000 and $975,000 from Abrams Fensterman in “co-counsel fees,” averaging nearly $100,000 a year. From 2013 to 2015, the firm also paid him between $60,000 and $150,000 to rent office space in his Brooklyn building. Over the same span, Seddio played a role in the selection of at least sixty Supreme Court judges in Brooklyn, and Abrams Fensterman attorneys received more than 200 judicial appointments totaling over $2.3 million in fees. An Abrams Fensterman partner also sat on the screening panel that decided which judicial candidates got the party’s endorsement.¹⁴ The Office of Court Administration, which is responsible for enforcing the anti-patronage rules, did not respond to questions about whether the arrangement violated them.

After stepping down as chairman in 2020 and selling his building in 2023, Seddio moved into office space at Abrams Fensterman’s downtown Brooklyn headquarters at 1 MetroTech Center, where he continues to practice.¹⁴

Board of Elections Role and the Ballot Dispute

Seddio’s January 2025 confirmation to the Board of Elections followed a contentious 8-to-5 vote by the Council’s Brooklyn delegation and drew opposition from Citizens Union, Common Cause New York, and Reinvent Albany, which called putting a former party boss on the board a “step backwards” for election reform. The confirmation was held without a public hearing. He is one of ten commissioners, in a part-time role that pays a $300 stipend per meeting and carries the power to award election worker positions.⁷

In September 2025, Seddio was at the center of an effort to block three of four proposed City Charter amendments from appearing on the November 2025 general election ballot. The amendments concerned land use and the balance of power between the City Council and the mayor. Seddio aligned with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who argued the questions were confusingly worded, and proposed that the Board of Elections refuse to certify them. The Daily News editorial board argued that the BOE’s role in certifying the ballot is “merely ministerial” and called Seddio “unfit,” suggesting Governor Hochul remove any commissioner who voted to subvert the certification.¹⁵

Campaign Spending Questions

In August 2025, the New York Daily News reported on Seddio’s campaign expenditures as a Democratic Party district leader. Filings showed he spent $9,250 on an oil portrait of himself, painted by Connecticut-based artist Peri Pfenninger, which hangs in Brooklyn Surrogate’s Court. The payments were made in two installments in February 2024 and June 2025, listed in campaign finance records under the category “other.” Separate records showed $20,300 spent in 2018 and 2019 with Lou Nasti Mechanical Displays of Brooklyn for Christmas decorations installed at his Flatlands Avenue office building.¹⁶

No-Fault Insurance Filings

Between May 2024 and July 2025, Seddio filed more than 500 “no-fault” auto insurance lawsuits on behalf of Brooklyn physician Dr. Jules F. Parisien, according to a 2025 New York Focus report. By August 2025, the total exceeded 900. Parisien has been repeatedly accused in civil lawsuits by major insurers, including Liberty Mutual, GEICO, State Farm, Allstate, and The General Insurance, of participating in schemes to collect insurance money through fraudulent claims for medical services he never rendered. A 2022 Liberty Mutual lawsuit described Parisien as a retired obstetrician-gynecologist who was “home-bound and unable to physically perform” the billed services.¹⁷

Seddio has not been charged with any wrongdoing in connection with the no-fault filings. Parisien and other civil defendants have denied wrongdoing, characterizing the insurers’ claims as efforts to avoid legitimate coverage obligations, and most of the civil suits against Parisien have been resolved through undisclosed settlements.¹⁷

1
Cricket HOF. Frank R. Seddio
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City & State NY. Being Frank: How Seddio Transformed the Brooklyn Democratic Party
3
Politico. Frank Carone, the Well-Connected Lawyer Who Has Eric Adams’ Ear
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The New York Times. Frank R. Seddio to Take Over Leadership of Brooklyn Democrats
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City & State NY. Seddio Goes Out Like a Boss
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New York Post. Brooklyn Dem Boss Frank Seddio Plans to Resign This Week
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THE CITY. Frank Seddio Board of Elections Commissioner Democrats
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amNY. Defendants Score Chance to Put Frank Seddio on Stand for Role in Alleged Sham Lawsuit
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New York Post. Missing $2M Left NYC Lawyer’s Account the Day of Deposit
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New York Post. Longtime Top Brooklyn Party Leader Is Running Con Jobs: Suit
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amNY. Brooklyn Democratic Frank Seddio Client’s False Credential Use
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New York Post. NYC Power Broker Frank Seddio Ripped for Calling Judge’s Cell Phone Amid $2M Case
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U.S. Department of Justice. Former New York State Judge and Brooklyn Real Estate Investor Charged With Wire Fraud
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New York Focus. New York Judicial Appointments Patronage
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New York Daily News. Certify the City’s Full Ballot
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New York Daily News. A $9,200 Portrait, $20K for Decorations: Questions Raised About Frank Seddio Campaign Spending
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New York Focus. Frank Seddio No-Fault Parisien