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SALT LAKE CITY — A South Jordan woman facing fraud charges for allegedly impersonating a lawyer made her first appearance in court Wednesday.
Karla Carbo, 29, made a brief video appearance from jail Wednesday to schedule a hearing later this month. Defense attorney Michael Langford said Carbo is a hardworking mother of three who looks forward to responding to the allegations against her.
Carbo is accused of setting up a law office, the C.I. Law Group, and using the name and bar number of a Bountiful lawyer, Karla Stirling Fierro, to file court documents and appear in court on behalf of clients.
According to charges unsealed earlier this week, between July and December 2014 Carbo collected $5,000 in legal fees as she represented five clients.
Carbo appeared in court to negotiate with prosecutors reduced charges for a man facing felonies in Summit County. In that case, Carbo signed the plea agreement as the man's lawyer using Fierro's name and bar number, the charges state.
Carbo represented another client facing misdemeanor charges in Draper Justice Court, worked on a divorce case in Salt Lake County, and appeared in court with a client facing criminal charges in Tooele County.
Carbo also hired a newly licensed lawyer as an associate at C.I. Law Group, then assigned him to work with a client on a criminal case in Salt Lake County, according to charging documents.
Carbo was initially arrested in December and pleaded not guilty in Summit County to charges of identity fraud, forgery and communications fraud. Those charges were later dropped when the Utah Attorney General's Office took over the case, tripling the number of criminal charges against her.
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.
A warrant for Carbo's arrest was issued April 10. Carbo previously lived in California, where in 2013 she unsuccessfully attempted to activate Fierro's inactive bar license, according to the warrant.
Carbo is currently being held on $95,000 bail.
Contributing: Associated Press
