Illinois Man Gets 2 Years in Jail for Posing as Attorney Over 60 Times

STOKIE, Ill. – An Illinois man was sentenced to two years in jail for posing as an attorney and acting in over 60 cases without a law degree, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday.

Tahir Malik, 47, was jailed after he pleaded guilty Monday in Stokie, Ill., to charges of forgery and impersonation of a lawyer.

Malik, a convicted felon, was arrested in December after courthouse staff grew suspicious of him.

"No one suspected anything for years because he did everything right -- except obtain a law degree," Sheriff Tom Dart said.

The sheriff's office said that Malik mostly handled cases involving traffic violations, mortgage foreclosures and minor criminal offenses, though he also appeared at city board hearings.

Investigators believe that he was paid between $500 to $4,500 for each case, though Malik told the court that many of his clients never paid him.