By Randy Economy
A former La Mirada attorney has found himself on the wrong side of the law.
Gerald Lionel Garcia-Barron, a disbarred attorney accused of practicing law while ineligible and unlawfully receiving client fees from multiple victims was arraigned last Friday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Garcia-Barron, 46, of La Mirada has been charged with 17 felony counts including grand theft of personal property, obtaining money, labor or property by false pretenses and unauthorized practice of law.
The defendant was arraigned in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. Deputy District Attorney Alfred Coletta of the Justice System Integrity Division is assigned to the case.
The alleged crimes, which involve seven victims, occurred between July 2008 and January 2012. Garcia-Barron – deemed ineligible to practice law by the State Bar of California in May 2010 and disbarred in January 2011 – allegedly solicited clients and accepted about $7,500 from victims in retainer fees.
The defendant purportedly met clients at coffee houses in and around the Alhambra area, according to the Alhambra Police Department. Garcia-Barron was arrested April 11 by Alhambra police working in conjunction with investigators of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.
The defendant’s bail is recommended at $160,000. If convicted as charged, Garcia-Barron faces a maximum state prison term of 7 years.
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