Utah woman posed as a lawyer for Hispanic immigrants in criminal court, police say
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MIAMI - FEBRUARY 02: A judges gavel rests on top of a desk in the courtroom of the newly opened Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum February 3, 2009 in Miami, Florida. The museum is located in the only known structure in the nation that was designed, devoted to and operated as a separate station house and municipal court for African-Americans. In September 1944, the first black patrolmen were sworn in as emergency policemen to enforce the law in what was then called the "Central Negro District." The precinct building opened in May 1950 to provide a station house for the black policemen and a courtroom for black judges in which to adjudicate black defendants. The building operated from 1950 until its closing in 1963. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (2009 Getty Images)
Utah police have arrested a woman suspected of posing as a lawyer and negotiating a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Investigators believe Karla Carbo, 29, of South Jordan impersonated an attorney at least three times during the last six months, Sheriff's Capt. Justin Martinez said on Wednesday.
Carbo was arrested on suspicion of fraud, forgery and identity theft Tuesday, a week after negotiating felony counts down to misdemeanors during plea negotiations on behalf of a client in Summit County, east of Salt Lake City.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The plea caught the attention of Utah State Bar Association officials, who reported that Carbo had been using a legitimate attorney's name and bar number to represent clients without a license, police said.
It came to light after the attorney whose name she was using got a summons from the city of Draper, where Carbo was representing a client. The other attorney doesn't practice criminal law.
Investigators are looking at a similar report from Tooele County, and they believe there may be others. Carbo also submitted a bar application under the assumed name in California last October, though it was rejected, Martinez said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Carbo's clients thought she was a legitimate attorney, and most were Hispanic immigrants, Martinez said. The plea agreement she negotiated in Summit County will be canceled, he said.
It's not clear whether she has any legal training or why she was posing as an attorney, Martinez said.
No attorney was listed for Carbo in court records Wednesday, and a message left at a phone number listed under her name was not immediately returned.
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