A convicted felon who posed as a lawyer and represented hundreds of clients has been sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison. Harold David Goldstein told the federal judge at his sentencing hearing Wednesday that he made sincere efforts to represent his clients despite his lack of a law license.
Goldstein, 59, told U.S. District Judge David Carter that he won 25 cases in the eight months that he operated a busy Newport Beach law practice.
"I lied about being a lawyer but other than the lie, everything else was totally legit," Goldstein said.
Goldstein represented hundreds of clients, including many immigrants at deportation hearings, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Stolper. "It's a disaster," he said. Authorities are reviewing cases handled by the fake lawyer but nothing can be done for the immigrants who were deported, Stolper said.
Goldstein has a long history of convictions and served six years of a 10 year sentence in the 1980s. Details here from the AP via LexisONE.com.