| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 6725 | 2010-05-03 | Statewide | CAREER CRIMINAL ARRESTED AFTER POSING AS AN ATTORNEY |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent HEADQUARTERS- NEWS RELEASE CAREER CRIMINAL ARRESTED AFTER POSING AS AN ATTORNEY BATON ROUGE- On Monday, May 3, 2010, Troopers with the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud Unit arrested a man in Baton Rouge who has been unlawfully practicing law in Ascension Parish. On March 8, 2010, investigators at the Office of Disciplinary Council (ODC) in Baton Rouge requested assistance from State Police investigators after they received several complaints about a suspicious person who was acting as an attorney in the Gonzales, LA area. Investigators identified the man as 54-year old Raymond F. Gross (W/M). Gross was also identified as the owner of Southern Justice Center, an alleged law firm with offices in Gonzales and in Baton Rouge. State Police investigators learned Gross would frequently solicit potential clients by sending flyers to local prisons offering legal representation to inmates during parole hearings. Gross claimed his practice focused primarily on federal appellate work and representation of prisoners before the Parole Board. He also claimed to be a former federal judge from the State of Florida. To add credibility to his story, Gross also claimed to have won a high-profile case regarding inmate parolees in the U.S. Supreme Court. Victims of Gross’ alleged law practice contacted him seeking legal services, which he agreed to provide to them after agreeing on specific legal fees. Gross would then receive a retainer fee for his services from each of his victims but never completed any actual legal work, often citing court delays and other problems when his clients questioned him about the status of their cases. State Police investigators identified twelve victims who retained Gross’ services in which he defrauded them for a total of $60,300 in legal fees. Investigators are still working with other potential victims of the Southern Justice Center who may have also been defrauded. Gross has an extensive criminal history, which includes violent criminal offenses in Louisiana, Texas and Florida. Gross is currently on parole from both Louisiana and Texas prisons. His criminal history began in Florida in 1976 with DWI’s, fraud, vehicle theft and issuing worthless checks. In Florida, he was sentenced to seven years, of which he served two years. In Louisiana, he was arrested for simple robbery and was sentenced to eight years in prison. In Texas he has been arrested for several counts of theft and aggravated assault on a public servant. He was sentenced to 25 years in Texas and served 11 years and 2 months, and then released on parole. Gross failed to appear for his last scheduled parole visit with his Probation and Parole Officer, therefore, a Parole Violation Warrant had been issued for Gross effective March 30, 2010. Gross was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and later transferred to the Ascension Parish Prison on 12 counts each of Felony Theft and Unlawful Practice of Law. This investigation is ongoing and additional charges are still pending. The Louisiana State Police encourages anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of fraud by Raymond Gross or the Southern Justice Center to please contact State Police detectives at 225-925-3833 or 225-925-7282.
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