The Star-Ledger
TRENTON, N.J. — Two New Jersey men have been accused of duping inmates and their families by running a phony non-profit organization offering legal services to inmates, the Attorney General’s office and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced today.
The state alleges that “Project Freedom Fund” charged inmates and their families a $350 consulting fee for legal services, marketing themselves as a watchdog agency over inadequate public defenders.
The inmates did not receive legal representation, according to the state, and when they did, it was from a non-lawyer and a disbarred lawyer.
The two men named in the complaint, Bruce Buccolo and Mark Bendet, are not qualified lawyers. Buccolo, who ran the organization from his home in West Orange, is not a lawyer and Bendet was disbarred by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1997.
Full Story: Two N.J. men accused of running scam on inmates by offering legal services