Ethics
Former Brooklyn Supreme Court judge arrested for alleged involvement in real estate fraud schemes
Former New York City Judge Edward Harold King leaves the Brooklyn federal court on May 13, 2026, in New York after making an initial appearance on a charge of wire fraud conspiracy in connection with an alleged real estate investment scam. (Photo by Michael R. Sisak/The Associated Press)
A former Brooklyn Supreme Court justice was arrested Tuesday for allegedly participating in numerous schemes to defraud investors in commercial real estate deals.
Judge Edward Harold King resigned from the bench in February and faces one count of wire fraud conspiracy, as does Sam Sprei, a real estate investor. They both appeared in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday in New York City.
One 2024 instance alleges that Sprei approached two people with an opportunity to invest in New Jersey property, requesting funds to show that “proof of liquidity” be placed into an escrow account that King, a sitting judge at the time, oversaw. The investors allegedly wired $6.5 million into a bank account under King’s name, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in New York and coverage by Law.com.
King and Sprei were charged by U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella of the Eastern District of New York.
“As alleged, the defendants stole millions of dollars from investors by cynically leveraging King’s position as a sitting judge to lend false legitimacy to supposed investment opportunities,” Nocella said in an emailed statement to Law.com.
King was released on a $250,000 unsecured bond.
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