RKF Founder Robert K. Futterman Pleads Guilty to DWI
By Daniel Edward Rosen February 6, 2012 5:13 pm
reprintsRobert K. Futterman & Associates’ eponymously named founder Robert K. Futterman pled guilty Friday to a felony charge of aggravated driving while intoxicated and a misdemeanor charge for DWI, a spokesman for The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to The Commercial Observer.
As part of his punishment, Mr. Futterman must complete 1000 hours of community service in Suffolk County with “conditions including alcohol and narcotics counseling and regular testing,” said Robert Clifford, a spokesman for the district attorney, in an email earlier this afternoon.
“His final sentence will be determined at the completion of the community service and the pre-sentencing report by the department of probation, ” said Mr. Clifford. “If at any time there are any violations of the law during his community service, or prior to sentencing, he will be sentenced to state prison.”
He pled guilty in Suffolk County Criminal Courts Building in Riverhead, Long Island, last Friday.
The charges stem from an August 21, 2011 incident in which Mr. Futterman was pulled over by Southampton Town Police for failing to maintain his driving lane while driving southbound on the Sag Harbor Turnpike, according to published reports at the time.
There were four children in the car with Mr. Futterman in the car during the traffic stop. Mr. Futterman was reportedly on the sleeping aide Ambien at the time of the incident, reported The Real Deal, which broke the news of Mr. Futterman’s guilty plea.
Among the charges he faced were several violations of The Child Passenger Protection Act, or Leandra’s Law, which places tougher sanctions on adults who drive impaired while a child is in their car.
The law is named after Leandra Rosado, who died in 2009 after the woman who was driving her and six other girls crashed the station wagon they were in while intoxicated, killing Leandra.
First-time offenders can face up to four years in state prison.
Mr. Futterman is best known as the founder of Robert K. Futterman & Associates, a successful retail brokerage firm with headquarters in New York City and Los Angeles.
His guilty plea most likely will not lead to a revocation of his broker’s license, The Real Deal reports.
Drosen@observer.com
