Criminal Justice
Nonlawyer Who Handled More than 60 Cases Sentenced to Two Years in Prison
A Chicago-area man who posed as a lawyer and handled more than 60 cases has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Tahir Malik was sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty to forgery and impersonation of a lawyer, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He represented people in traffic and low-level criminal cases, mortgage foreclosures, and city board hearings, the Sun-Times says.
Investigators believed he charged $500 to $4,500 per case, but Malik reportedly said many clients never paid him.
Malik is a convicted burglar with no formal legal training. His father previously told the Chicago Tribune his son may have picked up some skills watching legal dramas on television.