Man posing as lawyer arrested in Las Vegas

Deepa Bharath

A Newport Beach con man who allegedly masqueraded as an attorney

and eluded FBI officials for almost a week was arrested Tuesday in

Las Vegas, officials said.

FBI agents had been looking for Harold David Goldstein, 58, since

his indictment Wednesday on two counts of making false declarations

by telling a federal court that he was a licensed attorney, said

Assistant U.S. Atty. Jeannie Masse. Harold Goldstein used the name of

David Goldstein, a real attorney in Redwood City, she said.

Masse said Goldstein told officials on Thursday that he would turn

himself in, but changed his mind a day later.

“He basically told us he wasn’t going to turn himself in,” she

said.

Goldstein virtually challenged agents to “come and get him,” Masse

said.

FBI agents tracked Goldstein to his other fake law firm in Las

Vegas and surprised him at an apartment he was staying at, she said.

“The first thing he asked our agents was ‘How did you find me?’”

Masse said. “Well, he did a pretty good job of fleeing. But the FBI

has worked tirelessly to get him into custody.”

Goldstein was actually on a supervised release and on probation

after he was convicted of mail fraud in January 2000. He was

sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. He served the time through

March and was on supervised release, during which time he is not

permitted to be in business for himself.

Masse said Goldstein opened up his “law firm” at 3345 Newport

Blvd. last summer. Since then, he has appeared in court on at lease

six federal criminal matters, as well as civil and immigration cases,

she said. Officials began investigating him when employees of his

“law firm” became suspicious after seeing a brief he filed on behalf

of Harold Goldstein to modify the terms of his supervised release.

“It’s highly uncommon for someone to pose as an attorney,” Masse

said. “Did Goldstein do well as an attorney? He seemed to think so,

although other lawyers didn’t.”

Goldstein faces up to 10 years in federal prison and will likely

face additional charges and time on the newly discovered Vegas

practice and for becoming a fugitive from justice, Masse said.