Crime & Safety

Disbarred Attorney Who Stole from MTA Pleads No Contest to Grand Theft

James Vincent Reiss is expected to be sentenced March 26 to 10 years in state prison and to be ordered to pay restitution to all three clients, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

A disbarred attorney accused of stealing more than $3 million from clients, including the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, pleaded no contest today to two counts of grand theft.

James Vincent Reiss, 52, is expected to be sentenced March 26 to 10 years in state prison and to be ordered to pay restitution to all three clients, according to Deputy District Attorney Amy Pellman Pentz.

Reiss was under contract with the MTA to handle their general liability claims, according to the District Attorney's Office. He received nearly $2 million in fraudulent reimbursements from the MTA between 2010 and 2011, Pentz said.

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Reiss was disbarred last March after a State Bar Court found he had committed 10 acts of misconduct involving five client matters between 2000 and 2010.

--City News Service

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