Crime

Fake Lawyer Going To Very Real Jail

When that unauthorized practice of law charge comes with a book of business.

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Phillip Asher, aka “Phillip Reynolds,” should have an epically bad Avvo review. As it turns, the 48-year-old from Georgia does not have an epically bad Avvo review because he is not, in fact, an attorney. It’s this oversight that will be sending him to federal prison for the next 33 months.

The details of Asher’s fake lawyering give new meaning to the word “brazen” as he managed to, apparently, dupe multiple clients into letting him issue legal threats all over the country. The one count of wire fraud that he pleaded guilty to this week involved a Chinese restaurant in South Carolina:

Law enforcement officials, including the FBI, became involved in the case in 2017 when Asher convinced a client, identified only as “C.S.,” to hire him to sue an unidentified Columbia-area Chinese restaurant.

Asher, who also used the name “Phillip Reynolds,” threatened the restaurant’s owners with “economic harm and immigration consequences if $250,000 or $300,000” was not paid to his client, according to evidence in the case.

The restaurant’s owner gave Asher $250,000 in cashier’s checks to settle the fraudulent legal action, an indictment in the case said.

Economic harm and immigration consequences. The opening to scumbaggery that this administration has opened is inspiring awful lawyers and awful fake lawyers alike.

But these aren’t the only scams attributed to Asher. He was already facing charges in three other states when the feds agreed to drop everything in exchange for the South Carolina guilty plea. Here are some of his other gems according to The State:

▪ Getting fees from a woman, identified only as “K.J.,” to begin a lawsuit against an insurance company in Michigan.

▪ Getting money from a woman, identified as “M.L.,” after telling her he had recently won a $300,000 lawsuit but needed a short-term loan.

▪ Getting money from two women, “K.S.” and “T.W.,” to provide legal assistance to a relative who was in prison in North Carolina.

▪ Getting money from a woman, named “E.S.,” after agreeing to represent her in a civil lawsuit against a homeowners’ association.

Who lends money to a random lawyer just because he says he has a bunch of money but can’t touch it yet? Surely there’s a Nigerian prince with a better hard luck story out there. But then there’s one other detail from the beginning of the write-up that might put the whole thing into context. Note how every client above is a woman?

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Phillip Asher, a 48-year-old Georgian, also pretended to be an attorney when he swindled women he met on Internet dating sites and got up-front “fees” to help them with their legal issues, according to evidence in the case.

Swipe. F**ing. Left.

I think we’ve found our Phillip Asher:

Phony lawyer who cheated Columbia Chinese restaurant, bilked women gets prison [The State]

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HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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