Toronto man who pretended to be lawyer charged with fraud

BARRIE, Ont. -- Police in Barrie, Ont., say a 31-year-old Toronto man, accused of orchestrating an elaborate ruse to dupe people into believing he was a lawyer, is facing charges.

Investigators allege that over the course of several years the accused created a public image of being an aspiring law student, working towards the goal of becoming a lawyer.

They say he eventually led his alleged victims to believe that he had graduated from law school, written and passed the bar exam in Ontario, and been offered employment by a law firm.

The suspect is alleged to have created forged documents which he disseminated to people in order to support his claims.

Police allege he was successful in defrauding two people of significant amounts of money, which was intended to be used for various purposes related to his career and services as a lawyer.

They say the man is charged with fraud over $5,000, fraud under $5,000, two counts of uttering forged documents and uttering threats.