Authorities Arrest Fake Lawyer for Demanding P5 Million in Exchange for Court Decision
A fake lawyer was arrested in Tarlac City after allegedly demanding P5 million from a victim in exchange for a favorable court decision.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) identified the suspect as Jenny Macanas Sapad, who also went by the aliases “Shiela Castillo” and “Angel Roxas y Sotero.”
According to the complaint, Sapad posed as a lawyer and promised the victim a favorable ruling in a land dispute case. To make her act convincing, she even presented fake receipts and forged documents that appeared to bear the signatures of a judge and a clerk of court from the Regional Trial Courts of Tarlac and Camiling.
However, the NBI’s initial investigation revealed that Sapad was not a registered lawyer. Her name was not found in the records of the Supreme Court’s Office of the Bar Confidant or the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. It confirmed that she had no authority to practice law.
Upon verifying the scam, the NBI set up an entrapment operation. The meeting between the suspect and the victim was initially arranged at the Hall of Justice in Tarlac but was later moved by Sapad to a fast-food restaurant in the city. It was there that NBI agents successfully arrested her.
Sapad is now facing charges of syndicated estafa through falsification of public documents under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. She will also be charged with violations of Articles 177 and 178 of the Revised Penal Code for usurpation of authority and the use of a fictitious name.
The arrest serves as a reminder for the public to always verify the identity and credentials of people claiming to be lawyers to avoid falling victim to similar scams.
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