A Pasadena, Calif., man who falsely claimed to be a licensed attorney was sentenced today to 50 months in federal prison for his conviction on charges related to his representation of “clients” in federal and state courts, according to a DOJ press release. Kenneth Paul Ferreyro also sought well over $100,000 in refunds on federal tax returns that falsely claimed substantial payroll taxes had been withheld and remitted to the IRS. U.S. District Judge John F. Walter imposed the sentence, calling Ferreyro’s criminal conduct “absolutely despicable.” In addition to the prison term, Judge Walter ordered Ferreyro to pay $190,887 in restitution to the IRS. Following a four-day trial in April, a federal jury convicted Ferreyro of four counts of wire fraud and four counts of making false claims on his tax returns. Judge Walter remanded Ferreyro into custody after the guilty verdicts were read. The evidence presented at trial showed that, from at least 2010 until 2017, Ferreyro told people, most of whom were affiliated with his father’s church, that he could represent them in bankruptcy court and other courts, and that he could perform work related to real estate refinancing and tax liens. While Ferreyro graduated from law school, he never received a license to practice law.
