The 23-year-old founder of a lobby group known as Students for Trump is facing up to 20 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. As the New York Post reports, John Lambert pleaded guilty on Tuesday for pretending to be an attorney online and walking off with almost $50,000.
"Are you aware you are not an attorney?" Lambert was asked by federal court judge Valerie Caproni.
"Yes, your honor," he replied.
During the trial, Lambert explained that he an another unnamed party had been pretending to be "qualified lawyers and providing legal services" to companies and individuals. Lambert had notably appeared on both NBC and Fox News in support of Trump's 2016 run, but due to his scam he won't be able to vote in 2020.
When posing as a lawyer, Lambert reportedly went by the name "Eric Pope," claiming he had graduated from NYU law school. He even went so far as to steal bios directly from the websites of other law firms. He is due to be sentenced on Nov. 4.
“Lambert’s de facto career was one of a grifter: he had never been to law school and certainly wasn’t an attorney,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said of the Students for Trump founder. “Today, Lambert admitted to his crimes and faces time in prison for his misdeeds.”
