Pleasantville Court Catches Phony Lawyer: DA

PLEASANTVILLE, NY — A Peekskill woman who prosecutors say pretended to be a lawyer in a civil court case in Pleasantville now faces felony and misdemeanor charges.

Delilah Torres, 42, was arraigned on an indictment before Judge Warhit and charged with:

• two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class “E” Felony,
• one count of Practicing or Appearing as Attorney-at- Law Without Being Admitted and Registered, an unclassified Misdemeanor

Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. said Torres first appeared in Pleasantville Village Court on 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, prosecutors said.

Torres appeared on the 27th, 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.

The matter was adjourned to June 29. When Torres appeared, she was questioned by the court on her credentials.

Torres claimed she graduated from Columbia Law School on May 18 but had not yet taken her bar exam, prosecutors said. She was ordered to return to court on July 3 with proof that she was admitted to practice and attended Columbia Law School.

She never appeared.

The DA's office checked records from the Office of Court Administration, the New York State Board of Law Examiners, and Columbia University. They say the records confirmed that Torres never attended or graduated from Columbia Law School, never took the New York State Bar Exam and has never been admitted to practice in the State of New York.

Torres pleaded not guilty. Her bail was set at $15,000 cash/$15,000 bond

Image via Westchester District Attorney's Office