Officials: Impostor lawyer defrauded and exploited convicts

NEW YORK – Prosecutors say a New York City man pretended to be a lawyer specializing in wrongful convictions in order to swindle as much as $15,000 from convicts and their families.

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office indicted 53-year-old Kenneth Moore on Tuesday on 75 counts, including multiple counts of larceny and fraud. Prosecutors say Moore ran a fake legal clinic out of his Brooklyn apartment, charging between $5,000 and $15,000 for legal services.

Moore is not a registered attorney.

Moore pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment Tuesday.

Officials say his victims included 14 convicts from New York state. Prosecutors say Moore would stay in touch with an inmate and their families until receiving a major payment — after which he would go silent.