$30K Bail For Man Who Filed Phony Claim With One Fund Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The man who claimed that his dead aunt was injured in the Boston Marathon bombing has been ordered held on $30,000 bail on charges he tried to defraud the One Fund.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports
$30K Bail For Man Who Filed Phony Claim With One Fund Boston
Attorney General Martha Coakley says Branden Mattier was arrested at his home in the South End on Tuesday when an undercover state trooper handed him a fake check for the full amount.
Mattier is charged with attempted larceny over $250 and identity theft.
On Wednesday, Mattier wanted to hide behind the lock-up door for his arraignment but the judge would not allow it.
Assistant Attorney General Gina Masotta told the court Mattier applied for more than $2 million in compensation for his long-dead aunt in May but a One Fund manager spotted the fraud.
The One Fund played along with investigators in order to make the arrest.
Masotta said Mattier was waiting outside for his check when undercover officers arrived.
Mattier later admitted that his aunt died in 2000 but claimed he wanted the money to help his neighborhood.
The judge ordered Mattier to hire his own lawyer and to hand over his passport.
He'll be back in court in August.
