People v. Romero

OPINION OF THE COURT

Titone, J.

A jury convicted defendant of the crimes of the unlawful practice of law and petit larceny. The question in this case is whether the Attorney-General had the authority under Judiciary Law § 476-a (1) to prosecute defendant for these crimes. Although section 476-a (1) directly authorizes the Attorney-General to bring an “action” against those whom he believes are engaged in the unlawful practice of law, we conclude, based on the language and legislative history of sections 476-a and 476-b, that the word “action” in the statute refers only to a civil action.…