After hearing a complaint from an Edmonton-area senior, who hired a local man he found in a newspaper ad to write his will – CTV News has uncovered that man’s sordid past.

On Thursday, CTV’s Consumer Watch reporter Laura Lowe told Bill Hannah’s story, he had originally complained that he paid more than the price quoted for a will.

However, CTV’s investigation turned up a criminal history behind Michael Steinberg, the man who Hannah contacted through the newspaper advertisement – who encouraged Hannah to appoint a stranger as his enduring power of attorney, and alternate executor.

That stranger is Kevin Grenier, an Edmonton real estate agent – his lawyer told CTV News Grenier did not know his agreement had been finalized, and that Grenier had said he wanted to meet Hannah before the arrangement was finalized but never heard back from Steinberg - until Grenier was contacted by CTV, he did not know his agreement had been finalized.

Steinberg alleged in an interview with CTV News that the wills or powers of attorney of two other people are under Grenier.

While Steinberg would not sit down for an interview with CTV News, he was interviewed over the phone – and, when he was asked about his legal background, he hung up.

According to the province – and verified by CTV sources, Steinberg changed his name from James Michael Bomek last year.

Bomek is a disbarred lawyer, from Manitoba and Saskatchewan – who has spent much of the last decade behind bars.

Among his convictions: sexually assaulting his clients, sexually touching a child, and influencing a judge.

Back in 2004, the Manitoba Law Society disbarred Bomek – one of the reasons was he convinced a client to give him $35,000 to invest in both her name, and his.

The Manitoba Law Society said he kept the proceeds, without her consent.

“He benefitted to the tune of approximately $18,000, once they were all wound down,” Kris Dangerfield with the Law Society of Manitoba said.

Bomek also wrote that woman’s will – a family member told CTV News she was surprised to see where the woman’s death announcement directed donations, because they were directed to a charity she had not heard of – located in a city 10 hours away.

According to Revenue Canada Agency records, Bomek was the chair of that charity at the time.

“The law society conducted a fairly extensive investigation, with respect to this particular client,” Dangerfield said. “However, the only charges that were authorized related ultimately to the financial transactions that he entered into.”

Law Societies from Saskatchewan and Manitoba said they would go after Steinberg, for the unauthorized practice of law if he had been writing wills and power of attorney documents int heir provinces.

“Certainly, if it came to our attention that was happening in Manitoba, we would be very concerned about that,” Dangerfield said.

However, in Alberta, what Steinberg was doing was legal.

“If he had said to him ‘Mr. Hannah, I am not a lawyer, I have a law degree but I’m not a lawyer, I’m not licensed to carry on practice in the province of Alberta, but I want to do your will for you anyway,’ then we would have very little that we could do about that,” Steve Raby, with the Law Society of Alberta said.

Steinberg himself told CTV News no one forced Bill Hannah to agree to the terms he had laid out.

“Everyone has to make choices, and I wasn’t doing anything dishonest or illegal, I was trying to assist a gentleman, that’s all,” Steinberg said.

For Bill Hannah, he worries other people are in his position.

Now, Steinberg has returned the money he was paid for Hannah’s will.

Hannah has also hired a trusted lawyer from his town, and had a new will and power of attorney drafted.

This time, there were no strangers appointed any powers on his new paperwork.

With files from Laura Lowe