From PRISON to PAPERWORK—DA’s Stunning Return!

Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota, 83, who was convicted and imprisoned for obstructing a federal investigation, has quietly reentered the legal world—this time as a part-time law clerk under the very lawyer who once defended him in court.

At a Glance

  • Former DA Thomas Spota, convicted of conspiracy and obstruction, now works as a law clerk for his former defense attorney
  • Spota was sentenced to 5 years in prison and fined $100,000 in a high-profile police cover-up case
  • The scandal involved efforts to obstruct an investigation into a police chief who beat a handcuffed suspect
  • Spota’s law license was revoked, and he is permanently disbarred
  • His return raises serious ethical questions about accountability in the legal profession

From Law Enforcer to Law Breaker

Spota’s downfall remains one of the most dramatic corruption cases in recent New York history. After serving as Suffolk County’s top prosecutor, he was convicted in 2021 for conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. The crimes stemmed from his role in helping cover up the 2012 beating of Christopher Loeb by then-police Chief James Burke.

When federal agents began investigating the assault, Spota and his deputy, Christopher McPartland, launched an illegal campaign to silence witnesses, destroy evidence, and obstruct justice—tactics they had once prosecuted others for using.

Return Under Supervision

Spota was sentenced to five years in federal prison and disbarred. Yet, after release, he found work under Anthony LaPinta, the same attorney who had defended him during trial. Now employed as a nonlawyer administrative clerk, Spota remains on supervised release while performing clerical tasks.

“Mr. Spota has been under my direct supervision as an administrative clerk in my law office during his work-release designation and current supervised release sentence,” LaPinta stated.

A Legacy in Ruins

At his sentencing, Spota admitted to the shame he brought upon his family, stating: “I’ve also left them with a shattered legacy and the stain of being a convicted felon.”

Meanwhile, former Chief Burke—whose brutality sparked the scandal—served 46 months in prison and has since faced additional legal troubles. The saga has left a lasting scar on Long Island’s legal community and exposed the deep-rooted “good old boys” network that protected insiders at the expense of justice.

Spota’s quiet reentry into legal administration has reignited debates over whether disgraced officials, even after serving their sentences, should return to professions so closely tied to their crimes. Whether redemption or recklessness, his new role underscores how power can linger even after conviction.