New York Litigation Attorney Stuart Slotnick Quoted on "The Robin Hood Banker" in AOL WalletPop Article

Stuart P. Slotnick, managing shareholder of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's New York office and vice chair of the firm's Business Litigation and Trial Practice group, was quoted in an August 25, 2010, article published by AOL's WalletPop. The article, titled "The Robin Hood banker helps delinquent loan holders," discussed the case against Jeffrey Gonsiewski — a Chicago-area bank vice president who reportedly "faked the records of dozens of delinquent loan customers, crunching the numbers so it would look like the loans were being paid on time."

As reported, "He played 'Robin Hood,' as the media has dubbed him, for nearly four and a half years, from September 2004 until February 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. … Unfortunately, his luck ran out, and Gonsiewski's 'good deeds were uncovered. … While Gonsiewski may have made a lot of families happy, he cost the bank he worked for at least $5.5 million. … Gonsiewski, 56, pleaded guilty to bank fraud. His sentencing will be Dec. 3."

Slotnick, who was described as "a defense attorney who's been involved in some high-profile cases, including successfully defending retired Army Captain Jay Ferriola, who sued the U.S. Army in 2004 after they tried to deploy him to Iraq, weighed in on Gonsiewski's possible sentencing. "The sentencing guidelines are just guidelines, which means the judge can depart from them, and if you look at the circumstances, that could happen in this case. Judges do take all the facts in consideration, and obviously somebody's motivation in a crime is something the judge will consider."

The article went on to report that according to Slotnick "provided the prosecution doesn't come up with any evidence that his job performance was tied to the loans, and that Gonsiewski was truly trying to help strangers and not family members (and that appears to be the case, judging from this partial transcript of the court case), then 'it may influence the judge and appeal to his or her humanity.'"

"If you rob a bank to pay hospital bills for a sick family member, you still have committed a crime and will still suffer the consequences," he concluded.