Manhattan lawyer Raphael Golb has been convicted of 30 counts of identity theft and impersonating a law professor in a bizarre case that we previously discussed, Golb assumed the identity of the rival of his father, Norman Golb (right), and began sending out false emails under the name of NYU Professor Lawrence Schiffman (left).
Golb, 49, was defending his father who is a leading expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and University of Chicago professor. In the emails, Golb had Schiffman confessing to plagiarism.
One email stated “That plagiarism stuff that I was accused of a long time ago, I did do it but I hope you’ll cover for me.”
For the earlier story, click here and here.
Golb promised to appeal and insists that setting up accounts in Schiffman’s name and those of other academic critics was merely a parody. His lawyer, Ronald Kuby insisted that the verdict “made hurting somebody’s feelings a criminal act.” He insisted that hurting feelings is as natural in New York as a crowded subway train: “In New York, hurting people’s feelings or being annoying is not a crime. We call that Monday.”
Golb now faces as much as four years in prison. He could also face tort liability for defamation and, in some jurisdictions, false light or privacy violations.
Source: here
Jonathan Turley
dd
ID,
This happens everyday I am almost certain….You have dirty Criminal Attorneys’ both sides Prosecution and Defense. I had a great reputation with the Prosecutor….If my client was guilty and wanted to plead to some lesser charge I’d usually get it…..I had one judge send a case back to the lower court because he was pissed at the plea offer, he even yelled at the Prosecutor’s office for being so generous….took it from a 25 year Felony to a State Misdemeanor to no more than 18 months nor less that 6 months in the county jail…. Then it was assigned to a different Judge….
I knew a lawyer in NY who “borrowed” $2M from his client. The money was sitting in escrow as part of a Starker exchange. He used the money to buy his mistress a strip club. When the client found the property to complete the Starker exchange, he asked the lawyer for the money. The lawyer was made full restitution and was sentenced to 6 months in jail (which he served on Rykers Island).
Surprisingly, the lawyer was only suspended for 5 years. After an outcry from the NY bar, he was forced to hand over his license (deemed the equivalent of disbarment). I was shocked at the leniency of the NY Bar, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy is maybe suspended for 6 months. He can argue (unlike the embezzlement lawyer) that none of his conduct was dishonest or reflected a violation of fiduciary duties, etc. Maybe he can use the “I’m just an idiot real estate lawyer” defense which hopefully won’t work.
eniobob,
Wow … I have some non-political ties to a few people working in Albany … I’ll ask them what they think of this teabagger.
There seemed to be some genuine anger there and certainly some very specific threats to do bodily harm …
… I do hope no one gets harmed physically but after watching that clip, it wouldn’t surprise me.
It would appear that the law has caught up with the technology and in this case justice was done.
Yesterday’s thread concerning the suicide of the Rutger’s freshman illustrates, for me, an instance where the law has not caught up to the technology thus permitting alleged sexual predators to escape accountability.
Off topic but this happened here the other day,also some other info concerning Mr. Paladino.Since we are talking about New York and he to is a lawyer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-AV7HPkx-A
“As he mounts an outrage-filled campaign for governor of New York, Carl P. Paladino has vowed to forcibly rid Albany of the wayward officials and misbehaving bureaucrats who he says have demeaned state government, promising to “take out the trash.”
(September 29, 2010) But some of the people whom Mr. Paladino has recruited to run his campaign are plagued by brushes with the law and allegations of misconduct, an examination of public records shows.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/nyregion/29advisers.html
So does he get to keep his Bar Card in NY after being convicted of a Felony?