County Judge Sentences Fake Lawyer After Village Court Appearance

PEEKSKILL, NY — A Peekskill woman who pretended to be a lawyer, taking on a client before Pleasantville Village Court, has been sentenced to five years probation, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced Thursday.

Delilah Torres was convicted on one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony.

Torres first appeared in Pleasantville Village Court June 26, 2017, identifying herself as the attorney for a client. After receiving instructions from the clerk on how to proceed, Torres faxed a series of documents to the court, resulting in the matter being scheduled for hearing the next day.

Torres appeared in court, again claiming to be the attorney for her client. At that appearance, Torres provided a Notice of Appearance and a Notice of Motion to the court. In both documents, she purported herself to be an attorney. The matter was adjourned to June 29, when Torres appeared in Pleasantville Village Court again as her client’s attorney.

When questioned by the court on her credentials, Torres claimed she had graduated from Columbia Law School May 18, but had not yet taken the bar exam. She was ordered to return to court July 3 with proof she was admitted to practice and that she attended Columbia Law School. She never reappeared.

Records from the Office of Court Administration, the New York State Board of Law Examiners, and Columbia University confirmed Torres never attended or graduated from Columbia Law School, never took the New York State Bar Exam, and had never been admitted to practice in the State of New York.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sculco of the Public Integrity Bureau prosecuted the case.