S. California Gets Bagged For Allegedly Masquerading As A Lawyer To Fleece Over $45K From Three Couples In Loan Modification & Debt Consolidation Scam

From the Office of the Orange County, California District Attorney:

• A man was arraigned yesterday [May 17] for impersonating an attorney and defrauding several clients through debt consolidation and mortgage modification schemes.
  
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  Circumstances of the Case:
  
  Between December 2013 and July 2015, [James Frank] Barker is accused of posing as an attorney under several different aliases and law firm names.
  
  Barker is accused of soliciting clients by promising to consolidate outstanding debts and/or reduce mortgage payments through loan modifications.
  
  Between November 2013 and July 2015, the defendant is accused of collecting $20,960 from his clients, John Doe 1 and Jane Doe 1, $3,000 from John Doe 2 and Jane Doe 2, and $21,640 from John Doe 3 and Jane Doe 3.
  
  The defendant is further accused of never notifying his clients’ debtors of his representation, never attempting to negotiate any debts on behalf of his clients, and never submitting any mortgage assistance applications on behalf of his clients.
  
  Barker is accused of refusing to refund his clients and laundering the money at a JPMorgan Chase bank.
  
  On Dec. 7, 2015, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) received a tip from an attorney in Orange County who represented two of Barker’s victims.
  
  OCDA investigated this case and discovered that Barker has never been a licensed member of the State Bar of California.
  
  Newport Beach Police Department arrested Barker on May 15, 2017.

Source: Fake Attorney Arraigned For Defrauding Several Clients Through Debt Consolidation And Mortgage Modification Schemes.