US man fakes death to avoid jail but typo gives him away


Team Udayavani, Jul 22, 2020, 12:48 PM IST

New York: A Long Island criminal defendant tried faking his death to avoid a jail sentence, but the phony death certificate his lawyer submitted had a glaring spelling error that made it a dead giveaway for a fraud, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Robert Berger, 25, of Huntington, New York, now faces up to four years in prison if convicted in the alleged scheme. That’s in addition to pending sentences for earlier guilty pleas to charges of possession of a stolen Lexus and attempted grand larceny of a truck — punishment prosecutors say he was looking to avoid.

“It will never cease to amaze me the lengths some people will go to to avoid being held accountable on criminal charges,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a telephone interview.

Arraigned by video Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, Berger pleaded not guilty to a single count of offering a false instrument for filing.

A judge set bail at $1 but ordered Berger back to jail because of his underlying cases. His next court date is scheduled for July 29.

A message seeking comment was left with a public defender who took over Berger’s case after the lawyer who submitted the suspicious death certificate claimed he’d been used as a pawn and had nothing to do with the alleged shenanigans.

Scheduled to be sentenced to a year in jail last October on the theft-related charges, Berger fled the state, while taking steps to convince his then-lawyer, prosecutors and the judge that he had killed himself — including allegedly using his fiance to pass along a bogus death certificate, prosecutors said.

At first glance, Berger’s purported death certificate looked like an official document issued by the New Jersey Department of Health, Vital Statistics and Registry, but there was one big problem: Registry was spelled “Regsitry,” prosecutors said.

There were also inconsistencies in the font type and size that raised suspicions, they said.

The real New Jersey Department of Health, Vital Statistics and Registry confirmed that Berger’s death certificate was a fake, prosecutors said.

Berger was alive, but not entirely well. While supposedly dead, he’d been arrested in suburban Philadelphia on charges including allegations he provided a false identity to law enforcement and stole from a Catholic college.

He was sentenced in January to up to a year in jail, according to Pennsylvania court records.

Berger’s case was reminiscent of one six years ago in which a former Coast Guard petty officer-turned-shoe salesman posed as a former military lawyer, soliciting clients and appearing in court.

That man, Kenneth Goldstein, was outed as a fraud when he started rambling in an un-lawyerlike fashion in a Long Island courtroom.

“You’re gonna get caught,” Singas said. “We say it all the time. Crime doesn’t pay. We’ll catch up with you eventually. In this case, it’s never a good idea to submit phony documents to the district attorney. We were able to make sure that he wasn’t able to get away with it.”

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Derogatory word against minister: AICC leader Surjewala calls for strict action against BJP MLC

Case registered against unknown persons who attempted to attack BJP MLC Ravi

Delhi polls: BJP issues ‘chargesheet’ against Kejriwal; vows to remove AAP from power

PVR INOX rejigs media biz, appoints Chief Sales Officer Shalu Sabharwal as head

Mastermind of kidnapping gang targeting celebrities arrested after encounter in UP’s Bijnor

Neelamangala accident: Tried avoiding hitting car in front, lost control, claims truck driver

Gurdaspur grenade attack: 3 Khalistani terrorists gunned down in encounter in UP

Related Articles More

India & Kuwait elevate ties to strategic level; ink defence pact after PM Modi meets top Kuwaiti leaders

In Kuwait, PM Modi meets yoga practitioner, other influencers from Gulf country

PM Modi receives Kuwait’s highest honour

PM Modi in Kuwait meets translator, publisher of Mahabharata, Ramayana in Arabic

Indian manpower, skills will help build ‘New Kuwait’: PM Modi

MUST WATCH

Tulunadu Daivaradane

Feeding Birds with Creative Paddy Art!

Areca Nut

HOTEL SRI DURGA BHAVANA

Harish Poonja


Latest Additions

Unnao rape survivor father’s death: Delhi HC extends Kuldeep Sengar’s interim bail till January 20

Police to train Delhi school teachers to deal with bomb threats

Derogatory word against minister: AICC leader Surjewala calls for strict action against BJP MLC

Maha Kumbh 2025: 50,000 police personnel to ensure safety of pilgrims

Epigamia founder Rohan Mirchandani dies of cardiac arrest at age 42

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.