Skip to main content

Today's Quote: Looking for a Lawyer? 'Ware the Shirt and Tie Scam!

"He walked around wearing a shirt and tie … and identified himself as a lawyer, I'm sure others may have fallen for his scam," said Broward Sheriff's Office Economic Crimes Detective John Calabro. Excerpt from "North Lauderdale man arrested on charge of impersonating lawyer" (Orlando Sentinel)


But I think the "sophisticated" touch that "impressed" even the detective was the business card identifying the alleged thief and impersonator as "Dr." - as well as "Ph.D., E. JD Attorney at Law."

Okay, I'll confess my ignorance. I had to look up EJD, which I think stands for Executive Juris Doctor, or worse...

(You might want to stop reading here, because the rest of the post, which was just supposed to contain the one quote, is about the addictive nature of Google and the many virtual roads you can choose to travel if you can't just walk away from your computer at 11 p.m.)


Lawyer Central has a "verified" profile for an individual in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area with the same name and initials as the accused (I need to get out more 'cause I didn't know there was a Who's Who in the World), with a link to a business website for an individual with the same name and even more initials, i.e. J.S.D.-MD.R. (the last being a very versatile acronym, my fave being Miniature Donkey Registry.) The site shares links to almost 40 impressive institutions, including MIT, the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (which at first I thought was for astronauts but after attempting to speed-read the site, now have no idea who it's for), the National Republican Congressional Committee, FindLaw and yep, the Florida Sheriffs Association. The site states the individual is registered and good standing with the listed organizations, as well as The Florida Bar (a lawyer search for this name yielded no results, at least not as of the time of this post).

Word to the wise, it's always a seriously bad sign when your lawyer's website has Google banner ads at the top.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the alleged victim began to suspect his lawyer's credentials when he spotted him looking intoxicated at a bus stop - and when a paralegal also said he wasn't a lawyer. The alleged victim filed a complaint with The Florida Bar, which in turn notified the local sheriff's office.

Despite the suit and tie, but probably with the help of the initials and jaw-dropping credentials, the possessor of the alleged multiple doctorates has been charged with two felonies, grand theft and UPL, and as of the date the news article was published, was being held on $10,000 bond.

On the bright side, at least this guy didn't tell anyone he was a paralegal.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Reprinted with permission of Lynne J. DeVenny, Author/Blogger at Practical Paralegalism, http://www.practicalparalegalism.com/.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

15 Gang Members Convicted on Conspiracy, Weapons Possession, Firearms Trafficking Charges Case Follows Recent Convictions of 137th Street Crew and East Harlem Narcotics Trafficking Organization

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the results of the investigation and prosecution of one of Central Harlem’s most destructive criminal street gangs, referred to as “ONE TWENTY-NINE” or “GOODFELLAS/THE NEW DONS,” which terrorized the neighborhood surrounding West 129th Street between Lenox and Fifth Avenues. Thirteen members of the gang have previously pleaded guilty to importing, possessing, and using firearms over the course of the conspiracy.

Mortgage Fraud

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau announced today the indictment of 13 individuals and a mortgage origination company for perpetrating over $100 million in mortgage fraud over a four-year period in the New York City metropolitan area. In addition, 12 individuals have already waived indictment and pleaded guilty to felonies relating to their participation in the mortgage fraud scheme. The indictment charges 13 individuals and the mortgage company, AFG FINANCIAL GROUP, INC., with enterprise corruption, grand larceny, scheme to defraud and conspiracy involving 19 fraudulent mortgage transactions. The defendants include the principals and a number of employees of the mortgage company, as well as bank employees, appraisers, and three attorneys. Two other attorneys are among the defendants who already pleaded guilty. The crimes charged in the indictment occurred between June 2004 and April 2009 with the bulk of the fraudulent closings occurring from mid-2005 through the end of...

DISTRICT ATTORNEY VANCE ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT OF SIX SUBCONTRACTING COMPANIES AND THEIR OWNERS IN MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictments of six subcontracting companies and their owners for colluding with LEHR CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION (LEHR) in a multimillion dollar scheme that defrauded numerous construction clients over the past decade. See, related story. The announcement comes one day after DA Vance announced LEHR and four executives were indicted on crimes including Enterprise Corruption, the New York State Racketeering law. GODSELL CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION and its owner ARTHUR GODSELL are charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree. JT ROSELLE LIGHTING, INC. and its owner JAMES ROSELLE, LIBERTY CONTRACTING CORPORATION and its owners GEORGE FOTIADIS and KEVIN FOTIADIS, PJ MECHANICAL and its owner JAMES PAPPAS, SUPERIOR ACOUSTICS, INC. and its owner KENNETH MCGUIGAN, and SWEENEY & HARKIN CARPENTRY and its owner MICHAEL HAYES are charged with Grand Larceny in the Third Degree.[1] "The defendants in this case cheated clie...