Prosecutors
New York man pleads responsible to posing as lawyer, stealing over $290K from greater than 100 shoppers
A New York man who posed as a lawyer has admitted to stealing greater than $290,000 from greater than 100 shoppers who got here to him for authorized companies. (Picture from Shutterstock)
A New York man who posed as a lawyer has admitted to stealing greater than $290,000 from greater than 100 shoppers who got here to him for authorized companies.
Manhattan District Legal professional Alvin L. Bragg Jr. introduced on Monday that Sean Mescall, 46, of Newburgh, New York, who stole the funds between April 2022 and January, pleaded responsible within the New York State Supreme Court docket to 1 depend of grand larceny within the third diploma and one depend of scheme to defraud within the first diploma. He’s anticipated to serve between two and 6 years in jail.
“Sean Mescall went to excessive lengths to steal from over 100 New Yorkers, falsely posing as an legal professional offering authorized help, whereas he was truly exploiting them,” Bragg mentioned in a information launch.
In accordance with the Manhattan district legal professional’s workplace in New York, Mescall created a pretend legislation agency that glided by a number of totally different names, together with “Prospection Authorized,” “Prospection Authorized Group” and “Mescall Regulation P.C.” He marketed his fraudulent authorized companies on on-line authorized search platforms and social media. He additionally offered false data, together with that he graduated from “Texas Tech College College of Regulation.”
In April 2024, Mescall employed an legal professional who was licensed in New York and New Jersey to work at his pretend agency, the Manhattan district legal professional’s workplace mentioned. She started representing shoppers in his instances, which included class motion, discrimination and enterprise lawsuits.
“Mescall instructed this legal professional that he had graduated from legislation college, that he was licensed to follow legislation in New York, New Jersey and different locations, and that he had been training legislation since ‘earlier than she was born,’” the district legal professional’s workplace mentioned.
The New York State Supreme Court docket additionally ordered a confession of judgment within the quantity of $294,275.63 within the case.
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