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Lawyer Disbarred Over Mishandling of Investors' Funds for Film Project
The New Jersey Supreme Court disbarred lawyer Gary Mason after finding he knowingly misappropriated $690,000 that investors paid to support the work of a fledgling filmmaker. In the Matter of Gary L. Mason, 085018.
Mason, of Garland and Mason in Manalapan, NJ, was disbarred over his representation of Michael Attardi, who was seeking funding to make a full-length feature film. The funds were lost after Mason released them as "up front capital" in a financing scheme without the investors' permission.
Besides providing legal representation for Attardi's business operations, Mason also took an equity interest in the filmmaker's operations in lieu of charging legal fees. In Oct. 2020, the state's Disciplinary Review Board concluded (DRB) that Mason breached his fiduciary duty to investors in an effort to save a financing deal that he had an improper pecuniary interest in. In the Matter of Gary L. Mason, DRB 19-448.
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