Doña Ana County Sheriff’s investigators are seeking victims of a man who fraudulently acted as an attorney and took retainers for services he never provided.
According to court documents, Rafael Herrera, 38, worked for a local law firm from October 2011 to September 2012 and misrepresented himself as an attorney to at least one woman who claims Herrera charged her a $2,500 retainer for an immigration case.
Herrera worked for the Rascon Law Firm, whose principal attorney, Anthony Ray Rascon, was doing business in Carlsbad when Herrera was in charge of the Las Cruces office. When Rascon returned to Las Cruces, discrepancies in the bookkeeping led him to believe Herrera had misappropriated funds and collected from people whose cases weren’t legally being represented by the firm.
Herrera faces a third-degree felony charge of fraud. Investigators would like to speak to anyone who might have been a victim of Herrera. Calls are being directed to the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office at (575) 525-8814.