Cops: Cobb man conned imprisoned man into thinking he was an attorney
A Vinings man who is not an attorney has been accused of charging an incarcerated man for legal advice.
James Herbert Byrd, 63, was booked into South Carolina’s McCormick County jail earlier this month.
Byrd was charged with falsely obtaining money and practicing law without a license said the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. If convicted, the felonies carry fines and/or up to five years in prison.
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A probable cause affidavit shows that he took $6,500 in legal fees from a man in prison between June 2013 and August 2014.
The public lists that he lives in the 2400 block of Maner Road Southeast. Georgia Bar records do not indicate that Byrd was ever a licensed attorney in Georgia.
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Cobb County court records show legal activity as recent as May filed against a man with the same name living at the same address.
Byrd bonded out of the South Carolina jail for $10,000 on Dec. 11, according a sergeant at the facility.
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About the Author
Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.
