Orange County Man Convicted of Falsely Claiming to be Attorney Arrested Again for Same Conduct

SANTA ANA, CA—A Newport Beach man who was convicted for holding himself out as an attorney to courts, lawyers and paying clients has been arrested – approximately one month after his release from federal prison – for again holding himself out to be a lawyer.
Harold Goldstein, 64, was taken into custody Sunday after the United States Probation Department alleged that he violated the terms of his supervised release. Goldstein appeared in court on Monday and was ordered held without bond.

Goldstein was convicted of making false declarations to courts by swearing under oath or penalty of perjury that he was an attorney licensed to practice in the State of California. He was also convicted of mail fraud for sending solicitation letters to inmates advertising his legal services. As part of his scheme, Goldstein stole the identity of a real attorney in Northern California. After extensive litigation, Goldstein was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Goldstein was released from prison on May 1, and a month later he was re-arrested for allegedly violating the terms of his supervised release by holding himself out as an attorney and working in the legal field without the approval of his probation officer. On June 1, Goldstein allegedly posted an ad on Craigslist soliciting attorneys. When attorneys responded to the job ad, Goldstein allegedly represented that he was a retired or semi-retired attorney looking to contract with another attorney to do in-court legal work. Goldstein then requested the attorney’s letterhead and business cards.

Goldstein’s preliminary hearing on this matter is set for June 22. If United States District Judge David O. Carter determines that Goldstein violated the terms of his supervised release, he could be sentenced to an additional two years in federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.