This story reprinted from golaurens.com with respect to our neighboring Laurens County.  

Apparently, a Laurens attorney wasn’t one.

Agents of the S.C. Law Enforcement Division arrested a Laurens man in connection with providing a number of legal services while charging more than $81,000 for those services.

Michel V. Diago, 76, was charged with Practice of Law without a License and Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value $10,000 or more.

The SLED investigation was requested by the state Attorney General’s Office. Diago was booked on Tuesday at the Johnson Detention Center. The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.

According to one of the two warrants: “Between the dates of June 22, 2014 and October 27, 2017, in the county of Laurens, one Michel V. Diago did commit the crime of Breach/Breach of Trust with fraudulent intent, value $10,000 or more, in that he received $81,392 from [redacted] in exchange for legal services related to the adoption and naturalization proceedings on behalf of [redacted] but instead used the funds for his own personal benefit. This was done in violation of section 16-13-0230 the code of laws of South Carolina (1976), as amended.”

The warrant for the other charge alleged that Diago “did commit the crime of Law/Practice of Law or solicit the legal cause of another person in this state, although he was neither enrolled as a member of the South Carolina Bar nor otherwise authorized … to provide legal services.”