A man who works for a legal firm allegedly posed as an attorney and offered a woman seeking representation discounted help if she would have sex with him.
On April 3, a woman went to a law firm in Los Angeles looking for legal help for her husband with his immigration case.
The woman reportedly met with 67-year-old Jose E. Morales who was an employee in the office. According to her account of the events, Morales convinced her that he was a licensed attorney and she disclosed her husband’s legal needs.
While she was speaking with Morales the woman said that he started to act in a way that made her feel as if he was being overtly sexual to the extent that she became uncomfortable and decided to leave.
Morales had obtained the woman’s phone number during the time that they spoke and he allegedly began contacting her with a proposal to work on her husband’s case for a discounted price if she agreed to have sex with him. He is additionally accused of threatening to have her U-visa revoked if she did not comply.
The woman decided that she should reach out to the local bar association concerning the matter. They encouraged her to file a report with the police about the events and she followed their advice.
Police learned that Morales worked for the law firm for 10 years but he was not a licensed attorney.
Morales was taken into custody on April 26 on suspicion of extortion, and he remained in custody for four days before posting $35,000 bail.
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