The Nevada County District Attorney’s Office announced today:

On Tuesday May 15, 2012, after a five month investigation into allegations of unlicensed practice of law by a local woman, search warrants were served on the residences of Sarah Ellen O’Neal.  The residences searched were located in Placer and Sierra Counties.  Investigators from the Nevada County District Attorney’s Office and detectives from Auburn Police Department served the first search warrant in Colfax which led D.A. Investigators to the Sierra County site where numerous documents were seized.

The investigation began after numerous complaints began to trickle into the Nevada County District Attorney’s Office about O’Neal’s not finishing or following through on legal matters for which she was retained as an attorney. The complaints included unfinished divorces, botched real estate deals, failure to file civil suits within the statutory time and defective loan modifications. Subsequent investigation revealed that O’Neal does not appear to be a licensed attorney but allegedly has been holding herself out as one handling civil, family law and real estate matters for several years in Nevada County.

The number of potential victims is still unknown, if you suspect you have a complaint or pertinent information to this case please contact Investigator Burget of Nevada County District Attorney’s Office at (530) 265-1716.