Phony lawyer goes back to prison

Seven years in federal prison apparently wasn’t enough for one Newport Beach man to learn his lesson, as he was sentenced to an additional two for committing the same crime again days after his release.

Harold Goldstein, 64, was sentenced to two years in prison Monday for impersonating a lawyer.

In February 2003, Goldstein was convicted of falsely declaring under oath he was an attorney licensed in California, fraudulently sending out solicitation letters to inmates offering legal services and stealing the identify of a Northern California lawyer.

He was sentenced to seven years in federal prison and after being released in May, the FBI found a Craigslist ad in June from Goldstein again offering his legal services.

Goldstein claimed he was a semi-retired attorney and was looking to partner with another lawyer to do in-court legal work and asked for their letterhead and business cards.

Goldstein was convicted of violating his parole in June. Two years was the maximum penalty Judge David O. Carter could give, court officials said.