A lawyer in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to forging the signature of a U.S. district judge. Michael Brandon Cohen, 41, did so twice after failing to file a lawsuit on behalf of a civil client. From a Department of Justice press release:

On May 18, 2022, and October 13, 2022, Cohen sent the victim fake court orders purportedly issued by Chief United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Matthew W. Brann in the victim’s favor against the healthcare company. The orders awarded the victim monetary sanctions and fees and bore the electronic signature of the Chief Judge. Chief Judge Brann never issued the orders and, therefore, did not authorize his electronic signature on the orders. Rather, Cohen forged Chief Judge Brann’s signature on the fake orders in an effort to authenticate their legitimacy to his victim client.

He had never filed the lawsuit against the defendant, a healthcare company, so Brann had never seen it, let alone issued any orders in the case. It’s hard to imagine how this could have worked out for Cohen, who faces years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines. The guilty plea could win him a lighter sentence when he’s sentenced in November.

Cohen was already disbarred in Pennsylvania and the Bedford Gazette reports that he also faces a third-degree felony county of theft after homeowners in Kimmel Township there accused him of misappropriating $60,000. Heather Koontz writes that Cohen was hired to deal with a lien on a property, was provided the money to settle the relevant debts, but did not do so.

According to court records, Cohen told the man that he settled with Wells Fargo, and if he and his wife would pay $60,000, they would own the property with no liens on it. … The victims later discovered their house listed for sheriff’s sale and contacted Cohen, who said he would have the sale reversed.

On Jan. 30, 2024, members of the Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene with a court order forcing the couple to vacate, which they did, before they again called Cohen about the issue. Cohen, according to reports, again ensured them he would get the sale reversed.

And so on, and so on. Reads like a case of “new story to cover the old story” until that’s not possible anymore. There’s some more details at the Altoona Mirror.

In a criminal complaint, police officers said Cohen told them that in 2022, he started feeling as though he was losing his mind and stopped going to work. Officers said he was advising clients that he would look into their matters or file something when he hadn’t. Officers said Cohen also spoke of how guilt had caused him to give away money held in escrow and his own money to clients who were told that he had resolved their cases.

When Haines quizzed Cohen about his work history, Cohen spoke of practicing law until April 2023. He said since fall 2023, he has been working as a marketing manager for a window and door replacement company.

Previously:
• ‘Dragon lawyer’ annoys judge with cartoon dragon watermark
• Judge fines lawyers $31k after they use AI to generate brief with made-up citations
• Lawyer in Florida who fought against helmet laws killed on motorcycle while not wearing a helmet