Dominic Barbara, a high-profile attorney who was suspended from practicing law in New York last year, has reportedly been accused of violating a court order that he stay away from his ex-wife.
Barbara pleaded not guilty Thursday to criminal contempt. Police allege he sent a text-message to a law firm representing his ex-wife.
The New York Post reports he was arrested at the Garden City hotel.
Sid Davidoff, the law partner of Barbara’s ex-wife, Leslie, told the Post that it was “an unfortunate situation.”
An appellate court found Dominic guilty of professional misconduct last year for billing errors and improper staff supervision. His suspension is up in October.
His clients have included Joey Buttafuoco, Jessica Hahn and Daniel Schuler, whose wife was involved in a wrong-way crash that killed eight people on the Taconic Parkway.
Buttafuoco served jail time for statutory rape after his 1990s affair with then-teenager Amy Fisher. She went to prison for shooting Buttafuoco’s wife.
Hahn was the secretary embroiled in a church scandal involving evangelist Jim Bakker.
Barbara has been practicing law in New York since 1971.
He was freed on $500 bail. He is due back in court in October.
-With AP