Phony NYC Lawyers Sentenced For Scamming Dozens In Real Estate Deals

In Staten Island, New York, the Staten Island Advance reports:

• Their claims to be lawyers were bogus, but what's very real are the lengthy prison terms and the $14.1 million that two Staten Island brothers must repay unwitting homeowners and lenders they bilked in real-estate deals in Nassau County. James LaForte Jr. and Joseph W. LaForte fronted a Mineola, L.I., law firm that acted as attorneys for banks in real-estate transactions. Along with their parents and other conspirators, they ripped off three dozen personal clients and lending institutions of more than $14 million over the 17 months ending in August 2005, prosecutors said.

For more, see 2 brothers head to jail for duping homeowners (LaFortes must pay back $14.5 million to victims of bogus-lawyer scam).