Audrey Golden Associates Founder, Audrey Golden Lesser, Faces Devastating Child Safety Lawsuit After Five Decades of Shadow Operations
Audrey Golden Lesser, the secretive 82-year-old founder of a multi-million dollar legal recruiting empire, faces explosive allegations that her hidden real estate operations exposed an infant to dangerous lead poisoning.
Court documents filed in Queens reveal a shocking web of corporate entities controlled by the Brooklyn Law School graduate who has operated for over 50 years while carefully avoiding public scrutiny.
The devastating lawsuit against Audrey Golden Lesser and her entities , filed by desperate mother Shetira Bolling on behalf of her daughter identified only as “A.B.” to protect the vulnerable child, names FIVE separate defendants including Lesser personally and four shadowy corporate entities she controls. The case exposes what appears to be a vast business empire extending far beyond her publicly known recruiting firm—an empire that allegedly failed to protect a child under 14 from the devastating effects of lead exposure.
The Hidden Empire: More Than Meets the Eye
What the legal industry thought it knew about Audrey Golden Associates tells only part of the story. Court filings reveal previously unknown entities including the mysterious “RRNY Properties LLC”—a real estate company that operated completely under the radar until this lawsuit exposed its existence. The toxic lead exposure allegedly occurred at a property connected to this secretive entity, raising disturbing questions about what other properties Lesser controls and their safety conditions.
Lesser’s recruiting firm, generating $6.9 million annually, operates from a prestigious Manhattan tower she strategically purchased years ago. But the lead poisoning case reveals the true scope of her business interests: AGL Consulting Inc., Audrey Golden LLC, Audrey Golden Associates Ltd., and the enigmatic RRNY Properties LLC—a corporate structure so complex it suggests decades of careful asset protection planning.
The Credibility Crisis: Claims vs. Reality
Despite marketing materials boasting of being “one of the most highly-regarded attorney search firms in the country,” investigation reveals a stunning lack of verifiable industry recognition. The firm ranked a disappointing 177th among legal recruiters in 2016, plummeting from 152nd the previous year and wildly fluctuating from 277th just two years earlier.
More damaging: No major law firm clients can be verified. No testimonials exist. No membership in the industry’s premier professional organization, NALSC. No interviews in legal publications after five decades of operation. No speaking engagements. No industry awards. For a business claiming to place attorneys at “AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 firms,” the silence is deafening.
The Audrey Golden Associates Ltd. website claims:
Audrey is known throughout the industry as a resourceful recruiter with great integrity, energy and creativity in seeking out excellent legal “matches” in all jurisdictions and practice specialties. Audrey has trained and endowed all of her staff with the character and experience to operate in the same way.
The Pattern of Secrecy
Lesser’s decades-long avoidance of public attention now appears deliberate rather than modest. While her competitors regularly appear in legal media, speak at conferences, and maintain high industry profiles, Lesser has operated in the shadows. Her firm issues no press releases about placements. No profiles exist in The American Lawyer, Law360, or the National Law Journal—publications that routinely cover recruiting industry leaders.
Employee reviews paint a troubling picture of compensation and management issues at the firm, though Lesser’s wealth continues growing through her real estate investments and recruiting revenues.
The Child Victim and Legal Firepower
The plaintiff, represented by David Resnick & Associates P.C., faces a formidable opponent. Resnick’s firm specializes in lead poisoning cases involving children and has recovered over $60 million for young victims. Their decision to take this case signals confidence in the evidence against Lesser’s entities.
Lead poisoning in children causes irreversible developmental damage, learning disabilities, and lifelong health problems. The fact that Lesser—an attorney herself—allegedly allowed conditions that exposed an infant to this toxic environment makes the allegations particularly shocking to the legal community.
The Mounting Pressure
As the 82-year-old Lesser faces the first significant legal challenge of her five-decade career, questions multiply about her hidden business empire. If RRNY Properties LLC operated secretly for years, what other entities exist? How many properties does she control? Are other children at risk?
The lawsuit represents more than a single case—it potentially exposes a pattern of operating multiple businesses while avoiding the scrutiny that typically comes with success in New York’s legal industry.
Government Crackdown: Attorney Generals Leading the Charge Against Lead Poisoning Landlords
The Lesser case emerges amid an unprecedented wave of government enforcement actions targeting landlords who expose children to lead poisoning. Attorney generals across the nation are wielding their prosecutorial power to hold property owners accountable for what federal officials describe as a “preventable public health crisis.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a massive $515,000 settlement against Buffalo landlord Farhad Raiszadeh and his companies for systematically violating lead safety laws. The September 2025 enforcement action revealed that more than a dozen children suffered lead poisoning in properties controlled by the Raiszadeh Group, forcing families into a nightmare of irreversible health consequences.
The Buffalo case demonstrates the devastating scope of landlord negligence. According to Attorney General James’ office, the Raiszadeh Group “repeatedly and persistently violated lead safety laws, causing children to suffer lead poisoning from unsafe housing.” The settlement requires $70,000 for a tenant relief fund and $445,000 for lead hazard remediation across dozens of properties—a blueprint that could foreshadow the financial consequences awaiting Lesser if the allegations prove true.
Federal Prosecutors Join the Battle
The enforcement momentum extends far beyond state attorney generals. Federal prosecutors are deploying the full weight of the Department of Justice against landlords who endanger children through lead exposure negligence. In December 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York obtained a consent decree requiring Lilmor Management and Morris Lieberman to pay $6.5 million in penalties and restitution for lead paint violations affecting over 2,500 apartments.
The Lilmor case reveals the staggering human cost of landlord negligence. Government records show that since 2012, more than 130 children tested positive for elevated blood-lead levels while living in apartments owned or controlled by the defendants. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams declared the case provided “the most extensive relief ever achieved in a case of this kind,” signaling federal prosecutors’ determination to pursue maximum penalties against negligent property owners.
“New Yorkers are entitled to protection from lead-paint hazards and other unsafe conditions in their homes. Landlords must comply with federal lead paint laws, and they cannot neglect their residential properties in ways that create a public nuisance,” declared U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
The Epidemic Hidden in Plain Sight
The enforcement actions expose a crisis that extends far beyond isolated cases. Buffalo has one of the highest rates of childhood lead poisoning in the nation, with children of color and those living in low-income neighborhoods disproportionately affected. Recent data reveals that approximately 590,000 U.S. children aged 1-5 had elevated blood lead levels in 2016, while 4.3 million children resided in homes with lead paint in 2019.
These statistics represent more than numbers—they document a generation of children whose futures have been compromised by preventable exposure to a known neurotoxin. Lead poisoning affects children’s brains and developing nervous systems, causing reduced IQ, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems that persist throughout their lives.
The Legal Landscape: No Safe Harbor for Negligent Landlords
Federal law provides no refuge for landlords who claim ignorance about lead hazards. The Lead Disclosure Rule requires landlords to inform tenants about lead exposure risks before lease agreements and disclose known facts about lead paint presence. The Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule (RRP Rule) mandates specific work-practice standards to minimize lead exposure during renovation projects.
EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia emphasized the government’s unwavering commitment to enforcement: “Our message to housing authorities, landlords, and renovators is loud and clear – Follow The Law – if you persist in cutting corners and putting public health at risk, we will pursue a violation and you will pay a hefty fine.”
The consequences for violations are severe and escalating. Recent enforcement actions have resulted in:
| Case | Penalties | Properties Affected | Children Harmed |
| Lilmor Management (2024) | $6.5 million | 2,500+ apartments | 130+ children |
| Raiszadeh Group (2025) | $515,000 | Dozens of properties | 12+ children |
| D’Angelo Properties (2024) | $310,000 | Multiple buildings | 15+ children |
The Audrey Golden Lesser Case: A Test of Legal Accountability
Against this backdrop of aggressive government enforcement, the Lesser case represents a critical test of whether wealth and legal sophistication can shield property owners from accountability. Lesser’s status as an attorney makes her alleged violations particularly egregious—she cannot claim ignorance of federal lead disclosure requirements or the devastating health consequences of childhood lead exposure.
The case also highlights the intersection of corporate complexity and public health violations. Lesser’s web of entities—AGL Consulting Inc., Audrey Golden LLC, Audrey Golden Associates Ltd., and RRNY Properties LLC—mirrors the sophisticated asset protection strategies that many have used to shield themselves from personal liability.
What This Means for Property Owners
The escalating enforcement trend sends an unmistakable message to landlords nationwide: the era of treating lead poisoning as an acceptable cost of doing business has ended. Attorney generals and federal prosecutors are demonstrating their willingness to pursue maximum penalties, extensive remediation requirements, and ongoing oversight that can fundamentally alter how property owners operate.
For Lesser, the implications extend beyond financial penalties. If the allegations prove true, she faces the prospect of court-ordered remediation, ongoing government oversight, and potential criminal referrals—consequences that could dismantle the secretive business empire she has spent five decades building.
The case serves as a stark reminder that no amount of corporate complexity or legal expertise can protect landlords who prioritize profits over children’s health. As government enforcement intensifies, property owners face a simple choice: comply with lead safety laws or face the full force of prosecutorial power designed to protect America’s most vulnerable residents.