Fresno man, 60, arrested on suspicion of practicing law without a license in Merced
A 60-year-old Fresno man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of practicing law without a license in Merced, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office became aware of an individual attempting to pass himself off as a licensed attorney at Merced County Superior Court last week, according to a social media post by the Sheriff’s Office. The man was identified as Richard Gilpatrick, who also goes by Richard Richardson or Richy Richardson, officials said.
Gilpatrick presented the court with a California bar card that deputies later found out had a license number assigned to an attorney who was deceased.
After an investigation, detectives said they determined that Gilpatrick doesn’t have a valid law license in California and identified multiple people who had gone to Gilpatrick for attorney services.
Merced County Sheriff’s Office investigators said they located Gilpatrick in the Fresno area and arrested him on charges of practicing law without a license, petty theft with priors, forgery, and theft by false pretenses. He was to be booked into the Merced County Jail, with bail set at $25,000, according to jail records.
The Sheriff’s Office believes that there might be additional victims in the area and is asking anyone with information regarding Gilpatrick to call its Investigations Bureau at 209-385-7472.
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 8:13 PM with the headline "Fresno man, 60, arrested on suspicion of practicing law without a license in Merced."
