All seemed to be going well for Erick Porras Rivera when he entered a courtroom at the Riverside County Hall of Justice in Riverside on April 16.

Rivera, 66, wore a suit and was well-groomed, blending in with the attorneys as he prepared to represent a defendant in a criminal case.

But at some point, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said, Rivera slipped up. Just how, sheriff’s officials won’t say.

However it happened, somebody told deputies that Rivera was a fake, that he was pretending to be an attorney based in Orange County. Sheriff’s deputies said Rivera fled the courthouse before they could question him, according to a news release issued Thursday that did not explain who outed Rivera.

“Deputies began an investigation that revealed the suspect had collected retainer fees from a client while fraudulently representing himself as a licensed attorney,” the release said.

Deputies served a search warrant at Rivera’s home in the 200 block of West 9th Street in Upland. There, he was arrested on suspicion of false impersonation, theft by false pretenses and practicing law without a license. He had not been charged as of Friday.

Rivera’s days at the bar may not be over, however. One lawyer noted wryly Friday that if Rivera is charged, he could — legally — act as his own attorney.

Sheriff’s investigators ask anyone with information about Rivera to call 951-776-1099.

Related Articles