The former director of a Queens public defender organization was sentenced on Tuesday to three-and-a-half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy for looting the nonprofit for personal gain. Ruhani, 57, who also used to work for the organization, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison. “I loved Queens Defenders, and given the choice, I would have cut my right arm off rather than hurt her,” she said. The ripple effects of the scheme also destroyed several of Queens Defenders’ community programs, including the closure of food pantries and a justice center in Far Rockaway. Ruhani started working for Queens Defenders in 2023 after serving 26 years in state prison on first-degree robbery and grand larceny charges, according to incarceration records.