Police arrested a 24-year-old woman for allegedly impersonating a lawyer and offering legal assistance to a detainee's son near the Makati City Jail in Barangay Post Proper Northside in Taguig.
The suspect, identified as Lauraine, faces charges for violation of Article 177 (usurpation of authority) and Article 315 (swindling/estafa) of the Revised Penal Code.
The operation was carried out by personnel of Taguig Police Sub-station 11 after a 24-year-old man reported paying the suspect acceptance and legal fees for his mother's case.
Suspicioun arose when the victim checked the Supreme Court’s official list of lawyers and found no record of her name.
When questioned, the suspect failed to present an Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) license or lawyer’s ID and admitted that she was not a member of the bar. The victim alerted jail authorities and police.
Recovered from the suspect's were a National ID under her name, a P1,000 bill, 98 pieces of P500 bills and a laptop.
She was brought to the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital for medical examination before being turned over to the Taguig Station Investigation and Detective Management Section for inquest proceedings at the City Prosecutor's Office of Taguig.