Man accused of posing as lawyer is NY's first immigration services fraud defendant
A nonlawyer is facing criminal charges after pretending to be an attorney with an office in the Brooklyn Bar Association law library, authorities say.
Howard Seidler, 69, was arrested after an undercover investigator met with him there in April and allegedly paid over $3,000 for a green card and a social security card, according to the New York Daily News and the New York Law Journal (sub. req.).
The documents Seidler later provided were forged and used another individual’s social security number, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office said. The bar association cooperated in the investigation.
Seidler is is first individual to be prosecuted for immigrant assistance services fraud under a new state law that went into effect in February. He also faces charges of forgery and unauthorized practice of law without a license.
The news articles don’t include any comment from Seidler or his legal counsel.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Nonlawyer is still at his desk, 12 years after court ordered him to stop practicing, newspaper says”
