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Convicted law-school laptop thief in trouble again
By adamg on Wed, 12/13/2017 - 11:09am
David Scher of Newton, already convicted for stealing a laptop from Suffolk University Law School and for trying to alter court records related to that conviction, was arraigned yesterday on a charge of falsely claiming to be a lawyer, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.
Scher was ordered held for violating his terms of parole on the document-tampering charge by a Boston Municipal Court judge, the DA's office says.
According to prosecutors, Scher was released on parole on the records-altering conviction on Oct. 16:
On Oct. 23, Scher allegedly submitted a resume to a Boston recruitment agency in which he falsely claimed to hold a juris doctorate from Suffolk University Law School - a violation of Chapter 266, Section 89, of the Massachusetts General Laws. He also made false statements that he was currently employed as a patent attorney at an Abington employer.
After receiving the resume, the company contacted the Suffolk DA’s Special Investigations Unit, which had investigated Scher’s forgery and perjury offenses, prosecutors said. As a result of the new allegations, Scher was arrested for violating his probation on Nov. 21 and has remained in custody since that time.
Scher, who never returned to Suffolk Law and did not receive a JD degree, faces up to a year in jail if convicted on the new charge. After he pleaded guilty to trying to alter documents on his laptop-theft conviction, he was sentenced to a 2 1/2-year jail sentence - with most of that suspended if he stayed out of further trouble.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
In MA it's a crime to
In MA it's a crime to practice law without a license. But then appearing in court for illegally practicing law without a license you can represent yourself and thus be legally practicing law without a license.
/mind blown
Simple answer
You can represent yourself at any time.
You are not allowed to tell others that you are qualified to represent them.
Analogous example: You can do your own plumbing and electrical work on your own home. You cannot tell someone that you are a licensed plumber or electrician and work on their house.
DIY plumbing & electrical is not allowed in Mass
while it's true you can represent yourself in court even if you are not an attorney (making your own legal decisions is not practicing law) in Mass you can not legally perform electrical or plumbing unless you are duly licensed--even if it's for your own home.
http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/government/oca-agencies/dpl-lp/consumer-fact-s...
A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client
But you can't represent other people. That's illegally practicing law.
not quite
representing yourself is not practicing law.
to be a practicing professional usually means you are serving others--your clients.
Practicing
So, when lawyers represent others, they are just practicing. Practicing for when they have to represent themselves?
Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe
Practicing law since 1933. Someday, we'll get it right.
At what point does this become a mental health issue?
This guy just doesn't seem right in the head. It started with one relatively small crime (not that theft of a laptop isn't bad, but still) and has just mushroomed from there.
Conversely, perhaps some time at South Bay will help him realize that repeatedly committing crimes is not the best way for him to get his life together.
Was thinking the same thing
Was thinking the same thing here. The lack of judgment / lack of forethought / belief that he could actually get away with altering a court record and submitting those altered records to another government agency, and then pretending to be a lawyer of all things, really seems to indicate a fundamental disconnect with reality.
For someone aspiring to be a lawyer
this guy is sure going about it the wrong way.
Do they usually arrest people
Do they usually arrest people for lying on a resume?
Also, are there still any institutions with ''university'' or ''college'' in their name since before 1919 that aren't authorized to confer degrees?
It's a crime to falsely claim
It's a crime to falsely claim you're an attorney if you're not. That's to protect the public from getting swindled by a guy like this.
Minor correction
So you just eat vitamins
Vitamins, and visit a priest rather than seeing a licensed doctor?
And you're obviously unclear on the concept
of professional licensing, and why it's actually a good thing.
I mean, if you want to spend
I mean, if you want to spend thousands of dollars and seek legal advice and counsel from someone without a legal degree, training, and experience, go for it. Best of luck. Legal Zoom it is!
Legal Zoom?
Why would you take that chance on a legal question when you can just grab someone who stayed at a Holiday Inn last night?
If the legal profession is
If the legal profession is trying to protect itself from competition, it's not doing a very good job. Law schools graduate too many lawyers and the boards are happy to seat anybody who wants to take the bar exam.
The law cited above isn't
The law cited above isn't specific to claiming to be an attorney. It's for false claims of any educational degree.
I don't think that lying on
I don't think that lying on your resume is a crime ( a lot of people would be locked up). But misrepresenting yourself to a potential employer would be a violation of his probation.
Wonder what tipped them off
Considering the vast quantity of resumes that the recruiting firm must see every day, I wonder what made them contact the DA's office about his resume.
Google
.
Yeah, but...
Surely they don't Google every resume that comes through the door. What made them doubt this one enough to Google him?
Uhhhh ....
... sure I do.
I don't know, maybe his history?
This guy is bad news. I'd keep tabs on him too. He's on PAROLE so seems to me someone is doing their job.
Just every one
That makes it past the circular file.
he probably crossed paths
he probably crossed paths with a real attorney--probably the person that would have been his supervisor. good attorneys are known for being thorough. I can't imagine one hiring another without checking their status with the Mass Bar online and not hesitating to report him when found to be a fraud and being two-time loser on parole made him a top priority for the DA.
reminds me of the guy that was eating other people's bag lunches from the break room at work only this guy worked for the sheriff's dept and when they caught him not only did they terminate him, they put him in jail.
Can you still be
A J.D. if you are in your thirties?
Doctor or Juvenile he ain't.
Ummmm
That’s not what JD stands for. Funny your comment is not.