Fake Attorney Faces Prison Time: DA

BOSTON, MA — Prosecutors say he claimed to be an attorney, to be Mark Walhberg's childhood friend, to be a Harvard Law School grad and to be a decorated U.S. Army captain who specialized in the recovery of artwork stolen by the Nazi regime.

Now, the alleged aliases are gone, and David Koraca can rightly claim only one title: prisoner.

The Boston man pleaded guilty this week to posing as a lawyer in order to steal tens of thousands of dollars from his victims, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office said.

The DA's office says Koraca, who also went by David Corazza, pleaded guilty to six counts of unauthorized practice of law, four counts of attempting to commit a crime, three counts of larceny over $250 by scheme, and single counts of larceny over $250, common law forgery, and common law uttering.

His guilty plea was met with a two- to three-year sentence in state prison, followed by three years' probation. The judge also mandated he pay restitution to his victims, obtain legitimate employment, remain drug- and alcohol-free subject to random testing, attend Alcoholics Anonymous, and undergo a mental health evaluation and any treatment deemed necessary, while on probation.

Additionally, during his probation, Koraca has been ordered not to represent himself as either an attorney or a military veteran and from using any alias.

"This was a case of outright deception," District Attorney Daniel Conley said in a press release."The defendant deliberately held himself out as an officer of the court and swindled the people who trusted him."

Had the case gone to trial, DA's office prosecutors would have presented evidence that Koraca opened law offices and hired employees under the false pretense of being an attorney, later borrowing money he never paid back, taking thousands of dollars in legal fees for services never performed and bouncing employee paychecks.

All told, the DA's office said, he bilked victims out of more than $30,000.

Image via Suffolk County DA's Office