Lawyer Hired Thug to Shake Down Client

⏱ 3 min read

Brooklyn fed prosecutors slammed New York attorney Joshua Nass, 50, with charges yesterday, alleging he didn’t just file lawsuits – he ordered one. Nass is accused of hiring a heavy to strong-arm a former client, “John Doe 1,” and his son, “John Doe 2,” into ponying up a fabricated $500,000 debt. It wasn’t a request; it was a threat.

The scheme allegedly kicked off in early January 2026. Nass allegedly paid an unnamed enforcer $3,000 upfront – walking money for a hit, basically – and supplied the addresses and phone number of John Doe 2. Instructions were chillingly simple: “Do anything and everything” to collect. The thug then reportedly went to the son’s home to deliver the message.

“He plotted the violent extortion of a client he was supposed to be representing,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said, barely concealing his disgust. FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle was even more direct: Nass “chose to shake him down.” A lawyer, using the threat of violence to collect a phantom debt. The betrayal is blatant.

Nass was arrested and is due in court today before Magistrate Judge Clay Kaminsky. The feds are hitting him with Hobbs Act violations – that’s federal extortion law, triggered when the scheme crosses state lines. A conviction could send Nass upriver for a long stretch. This wasn’t about legal fees; it was about an attorney allegedly weaponizing the system against a man who trusted him.