A disbarred Boston attorney has been sentenced to prison for stealing over $2 million from clients to sustain his gambling addiction and lifestyle, the Attorney General’s office announced Thursday.
Benjamin Tariri, 68, of Boston, was sentenced to 3 to 5 years in state prison and three years probation, according to a statement from the Attorney General’s office.
Tariri embezzled approximately $2 million in monies entrusted to him by eight of his clients and falsified client ledgers in an attempt to prevent the Board of Bar Overseers from taking further action against him, authorities allege.
Tariri was also ordered to pay $575,000 in reparations and get help for his gambling addiction.
Tariri was found guilty of six charges of fiduciary embezzlement, one offense of larceny over $250 from a person over 60, two counts of larceny over $1200, and five counts of attempted obstruction of Board of Bar Overseers proceedings by a Suffolk Superior Court jury on March 6.
Tariri was a Boston-based general practice attorney. According to the Attorney General’s Office, he acquired a gambling addiction and began stealing money from clients to support his habit and lifestyle.
Several clients and attorneys complained to the Board of Bar Overseers, which launched an investigation that resulted in Tariri’s disbarment in 2023.
During the Board of Bar Overseers’ inquiry, Tariri produced ledgers indicating that he was keeping funds for customers when he had already spent the cash on illicit transactions, prosecutors said.
Tariri is the second Massachusetts attorney sentenced to prison this week for stealing from clients.
Patrick J. Dolan, 60, of North Attleboro and Haverhill, was sentenced in federal court on Tuesday to 39 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Leah Foley.
Prosecutors claim Dolan stole more than $2 million that he was keeping in escrow pending the resolution of a family trust litigation in which he represented one of the parties.
Dolan pled guilty in October to four counts of wire fraud. He was charged in July 2025.
This is a developing story.
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