NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A 61-year-old Newport Beach was sentenced to four years in prison for posing as an attorney to steal from several clients he promised to help with debt consolidation and mortgage payments, according to court records obtained Wednesday. Time served will be applied to his sentence, according to the courts.

James Frank Barker, who was sentenced on Friday, pleaded guilty on Valentine’s Day 2020, to 23 felonies that included grand theft, money laundering and forgery with sentencing enhancements for aggravated white-collar crime between $100,000 and $500,000, property loss exceeding $200,000 and property damage exceeding $65,000.

Between December 2013 and July 2015, Barker posed as an attorney and solicited clients with promises to consolidate their debts and lower mortgage payments through loan modifications, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Barker did not do any of the services he promised, prosecutors said….

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