Lori Zeno, the executive director and founder of Queens Defenders, a major nonprofit which represent indigent defendants, was placed on forced leave Friday morning and her husband was fired, sources familiar with the sequence said.
Zeno was barred from the nonprofit’s Queens Blvd. offices and her husband, Rashad Ruhani, identified as a senior legal advocate, was fired, the sources said.
“As a result of information received by the board, Lori Zeno has been placed on leave immediately and is not allowed on any Queens Defenders property,” according to an internal email sent Friday morning obtained by The News.
“Any attempts of [sic] contact or intimidation should be reported to this email immediately.”
The immediate reason for the suspension of Zeno, whose annual salary is $434,791 according to records, and the firings was not entirely clear. Queens Defenders did not respond to repeated emails on Friday.
Two other employees of the nonprofit, Teyana Reyes and Ureka Washington, were also fired, the sources said.
The internal email refers employees who wish to file a complaint to contact the state Attorney General’s office, which oversees nonprofits. In a statement, Alexis Richards, a spokeswoman with the AG’s office, said, “The Office of the Attorney General does not comment on ongoing investigations.”
The upheaval was first reported early Friday afternoon by the Queens Daily Eagle.
Zeno did not respond to phone messages. Ruhani could not be reached.
“Within the next few days, a leadership team will be chosen and a review of employee relations conduct,” the email said. “In the coming days, there will be a meeting where the employees will be able to speak to the board directly.”
Last year, Zeno was criticized by a union representing public defenders for firing two lawyers in the midst of a union election. The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys called it “heavy-handed union busting on the part of Ms. Zeno.”
In 2021, The News reported that Zeno informed her staff that one of their colleagues had COVID, but didn’t disclose it was actually her for three days.
