Convicted former attorney arrested after allegedly posing as lawyer of same first name

An attorney from Glendale who was disbarred after he was convicted of grand theft, money laundering and forgery was arrested after allegedly appearing in court three times this month using the identity of a licensed attorney, officials said.

Armen Gekchyan, 38, was charged on Friday with three counts each of unauthorized practice of law and identity theft, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Gekchyan allegedly appeared in court on Jan. 15, 21 and this past Wednesday using the name of a licensed Glendale attorney who happened to have the same first name, according to the criminal complaint.

He was arrested Wednesday after his appearance in Los Angeles Superior Court in Van Nuys.

When reached by phone Friday, the attorney whose identity was allegedly stolen had not heard about the case.

Gekchyan, who graduated from UCLA School of Law, was disbarred in February 2012 after he was convicted the year before of the felony charges, according to the State Bar of California website.

Gekchyan is being held without bail, according to the district attorney’s office. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Friday.

The investigation remains ongoing.