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Charges mount against Raleigh attorney

A once-prominent Raleigh attorney is on the wrong side of the law, facing charges he embezzled from clients and threatened a neighbor. Nicholas Andrew Stratas, 54, of 1116 Cowler Drive, was arrested last week and spent time in a New Hanover County on charges that he stole a car.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — A once-prominent Raleigh attorney is on the wrong side of the law, facing charges he embezzled from clients and threatened a neighbor. Nicholas Andrew Stratas, 54, of 1116 Cowler Drive, was arrested last week and spent time in a New Hanover County on charges that he stole a car.

The latest charge comes from James Grosslight, who said he and Stratas bonded over an interest in vintage cars.

But then Stratas changed into someone Grosslight feared.

Grosslight said he'd get up to 20 calls or more per day. "It got to the point where I had to wire myself," Grosslight said. "They were so bad and so harrassing, that the only way I was going to get him to stop was to start recording them and hope that he would eventually cross the line."

On one occasion, according to the warrant for his arrest, Stratas said, "I'm gonna come down there with the sheriff and my 300-pound friend, and when I collect the Jaguar, I'm gonna slap at you the whole time."

On another occasion, Stratas told Grosslight that he was going to have his son beat him up, the warrant states.

Stratas was arrested Thursday and jailed under a $5,000 bond.

Grosslight said he finally tired of being scared and came forward to help others whom Stratas threatened.

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