‘FAKE LAWYER’ CHARGED IN 50G SCAM

By AL GUART

March 27, 2003 — A phony Bronx lawyer exposed by The Post was slapped with grand-larceny, fraud and impersonation charges yesterday. Latrice Grant, 33, faces up to 15 years on charges she duped two women by posing as a real-estate lawyer and ripping off more than $50,000, a criminal complaint charged.

Grant, who operated out of a back-alley office in the Soundview section, turned herself in to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office yesterday. The Post revealed two weeks ago that Grant was accused of posing as a real-estate lawyer last September and bilking both the buyer and seller of a $350,000 four-family home out of thousands. In that case, Grant took $1,500 in “legal fees” from victim Elisa Velez but was not a licensed lawyer, according to the complaint. She also was charged with ripping off more than $50,000 after the sale closed.

She was listed as an attorney on the contract of sale, on the title documents and on checks related to the deal, documents obtained by The Post revealed. The criminal charges are the latest of Grant’s legal problems. Last Friday, Bronx Supreme Court Judge Janice Bowman froze Grant’s Fleet Bank account. Bowman ruled in favor of lawyer Susan Chana Lask, who represents Velez in a lawsuit seeking $40,000 Grant allegedly took after passing herself off as a lawyer and selling Velez’s home. Grant’s lawyer, Mark Goldstein, argued the move to hold $50,000 of Grant’s assets would put her out of business. “Maybe she should be out of business,” the judge shot back.

“I think she’s going to need not only a real lawyer, but a real good one,” Lask said. “She deserves every year in prison that she faces.”