ATLANTA, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- A disbarred lawyer described by a federal prosecutor in Georgia as a "professional con man" has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.
Mitchell Gross, 61, of Marietta, who writes fantasy novels under the name "Mitchell Graham," admitted during a hearing Tuesday he cheated a couple of more than $2 million, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. He also pleaded guilty to conning two former girlfriends of more than $4 million.
Prosecutors said in court documents Gross told a couple identified only as R.W. and L.P. he was representing them in litigation over the sale of their real estate business. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stewart Grimberg said Gross received a total of $2.2 million from them from 2000 to 2011, using it to maintain his own lifestyle and not to further the lawsuit -- which did not exist.
Gross claimed to be a former judge and to have made millions from a legal publishing business, Grimberg said. The prosecutor said Gross was disbarred in the 1990s for dishonesty.
"He is a professional con man," Grimberg added.
Sentencing is scheduled for May.
