UPDATE, Feb. 25, 2026: This story, originally published on June 27, 2025, has been revised to include details from a lawsuit filed by the defendant.
Northeast Community Bank claims that a former Airmont customer stole nearly $400,000 by overdrawing a bank account.
The White Plains bank sued Lieb Breuer, 43, and his SPL Realty Group, Suffern, June 23, 2025 in Westchester Supreme Court.
Breuer, the bank alleges, engaged in a quick series of deposits, withdrawals and transfers designed to leave his account overdrawn.
But Breuer has denied the allegations and accused a business associate, Abraham Friedman, of Spring Valley, of taking advantage of him.
According to the bank’s version of events, Breuer opened a checking account in November 2021, and for 40 months the account had minimal activity. As of early March, it had a balance of $6.
Then over a few days in March, checks totaling $1.3 million were deposited.
Several deposits were in the names of limited liability corporations associated with SPL Realty Group, an entity that Breuer incorporated in 2023.
Breuer quickly transferred $642,359 to SPL Realty’s account at the bank, according to the complaint, and SPL immediately transferred out the funds.
By May 28, Breuer’s checking account was overdrawn by $394,887, and the bank closed it.
“It is clear that the deposits were made by companies owned or controlled by Lieb Breuer,” the complaint states. “It is also clear that the deposits and transfers were designed to leave the Breuer account in an overdrawn state to defraud” the bank.
Breuer broadly denied the allegations in a formal answer to the charges, and on Jan. 7 he filed a complaint against Friedman.
Breuer says Friedman believed that the bank would allow him to use funds immediately, because of his good standing, and not wait for checks to clear.
“In reliance of their long-standing, amicable business relationship,” Breuer states in his lawsuit, he agreed to deposit checks from companies controlled by Friedman and then disburse the funds as directed by Friedman.
Breuer says he deposited $669,400 and distributed the funds as directed. A week later, he discovered that the bank had rejected the deposits and his account was overdrawn.
Northeast Community Bank claims that Breuer ignored demands for repayment, and it accused him of breach of contract, conversion of assets, and unjust enrichment.
Breuer claims that Friedman has ignored his demands for repayment. He accused his former business associate of fraud, unjust enrichment, conversion of assets, and breach of contract.
Friedman did not reply to a message asking for his side of the story.
