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SALT LAKE CITY — A bizarre case in Summit County of a woman allegedly impersonating a Utah attorney will now be handled by the Utah Attorney General's Office.
Kara Carbo, 29, of South Jordan, was charged in December in Summit County's 3rd District Court with identity fraud, a third-degree felony; two counts of forgery, a third-degree felony; and communications fraud, a class A misdemeanor.
On Friday, prosecutors in Summit County filed a motion for their case to be dismissed while the Utah Attorney General's Office filed new charges.
Carbo is now charged in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court with engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity, a second-degree felony; identity fraud, a second-degree felony; five counts of communication fraud, a second-degree felony; and five counts of forgery, a third-degree felony.
The attorney general's office requested that the arrest warrant and probable cause affidavit — the document that gives a summary of what crimes the defendant allegedly committed — be sealed, according to court records.
In the motion to dismiss the Summit County case, however, it states: "This new case includes allegations about the defendant's conduct in Summit County."
Related:
UT woman accused in fake lawyer case banned from legal work
A Utah judge ordered a woman accused of posing as a lawyer and representing clients to stay out of the legal profession. (File Photo)In December, Carbo was arrested for allegedly impersonating a real Utah attorney and handling cases in court, representing real clients, under the attorney's name.
She allegedly even opened her own law office and hired a man who recently passed the bar legitimately but had no idea he was being hired by a fake attorney.
Carbo is accused of using Karla Stirling Fierro's name and real bar number in the courtroom. Stirling is an actual attorney from Bountiful certified by the Utah State Bar. But her practice includes overseeing business contracts and not representing clients in criminal proceedings.
A motive for allegedly impersonating the attorney had not been revealed as of Friday, nor how many clients Carbo may have allegedly represented.
Attorneys in Utah are required to give their name and bar number when they appear in court, but do not have to show photo identification.
