A father and son accused of stealing $450,000 from more than a dozen victims by offering unlicensed legal services pleaded no contest Friday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Pejman Mehdizadeh, 35, of Los Angeles, told victims he was a licensed attorney or that he worked with one and that he could provide a variety of services – including obtaining green cards, loan modifications and divorces.
His father, Parvis Mehdizadeh, 78, of Calabasas, assisted. Between 2002 and 2009, they took payments from 15 victims ranging from $2,000 to $200,000.
“The District Attorney’s Office is deeply committed to prosecuting cases of unauthorized practice of law and immigration fraud,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.
She applauded the meticulous work of Deputy District Attorneys Kathleen Tuttle of the Consumer Protection Division and Dana Aratani, who prosecuted the case.
The younger Mehdizadeh pleaded no contest to two counts of felony grand theft and admitted a special allegation of engaging in a pattern of related felony conduct involving takings in excess of $100,000. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry immediately sentenced him to four years in state prison, suspended, and five years of formal probation.
Under the terms of a negotiated plea agreement, the son was ordered to pay back $450,000 in restitution on or by Oct. 21 or face prison time. To date, he has paid $370,000 in restitution.
The elder Mehdizadeh pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor violation of failure to obtain a bond required of those providing immigration assistance and was sentenced to three days in the county jail and two years of summary probation.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation and the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs.
-- Los Angeles District Attorney's Office
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