O.C. Man Accused of Posing as Lawyer Arrested in Vegas
A Newport Beach man who vanished last week after being charged with impersonating an attorney was arrested in Las Vegas on Tuesday morning. Authorities say Harold Goldstein, 58, swindled people out of millions of dollars while claiming to be an attorney.
“He was saying, ‘Catch me if you can,’ ” said Assistant U.S. Atty. Jeannie E. Masse. “We’re glad we put an end to his fake law practice, which had expanded to a number of jurisdictions.”
Goldstein has a criminal record dating from the 1970s, including running a mail fraud scheme from prison and defrauding commodities investors of millions of dollars. Authorities allege that Goldstein’s latest scam involved litigating several cases in Northern California, posing as an attorney named David Goldstein.
Masse said Harold Goldstein appeared in federal court in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties since September.
“He would go into prisons and hand out fliers offering his services,” Masse said. “I’ve heard estimates that he was involved in 60 immigration cases alone.”
The FBI had been looking for Goldstein since Feb. 5, when he was indicted on two counts of lying to a U.S. district judge when he swore he was a licensed attorney. FBI agents tracked Goldstein to Las Vegas, where authorities allege he had opened another fake law office, and arrested him without a struggle.
Masse said Goldstein will appear in a Las Vegas court today and will be transferred to Orange County for his arraignment in about two weeks.
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