Cohen

A federal judge in an order issued this week granted an extension of time to a former Blair County lawyer so he could respond to charges that he twice forged the name of the chief judge of Pennsylvania’s Middle District on court documents.

Michael B. Cohen, 41, in a sealed indictment returned by a Grand Jury in December, has been charged with forging the signature of the chief judge of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Matthew Brann.

While details surrounding the charges have not been released, the incidents, according to the indictment, occurred on May 18, 2022, and Oct. 13, 2022.

At the time, Cohen had a case before Brann, according to court records.

The federal charge against Cohen is the most recent involving his alleged misconduct, but court records show that he also has similar cases in Blair County and Bedford County.

Cohen has been disbarred from the practice of law in Pennsylvania, and in an order issued by Brann dated Aug. 9, 2023, he was disbarred from practicing law in Pennsylvania’s Middle District.

The Brann order noted he was disbarred on consent.

Cohen was given the opportunity to show the court that his disbarment was unwarranted, but he chose to forgo a response.

The federal indictment was presented to federal District Judge Stephanie L. Haines in Johnstown on Dec. 10.

Arrest warrants were issued and Cohen made his initial appearance before Magistrate District Judge Keith Pesto on Dec. 17.

On that date, he entered not guilty pleas to the charges, and initially he was to file pretrial motions by Friday.

However, on Jan. 24, his attorney, Daniel Kiss of Altoona, sought an extension of time to respond to the charges.

Last Monday, Haines granted the extension until March 3.

Cohen’s problems first became public in 2023, when he was charged with backdating a court order to help a client avoid an arrest in a PFA case.

At present, Cohen has three active cases in Blair County: a theft by deception charge that allegedly occurred on Nov. 2, 2021; a forgery case from Dec. 23, 2022; and a case charging tampering with public records from a March 15, 2023, incident.

He has one active case in Bedford County charging him with failure to make required deposit of funds. The offense date of that case is April 6, 2022.

Cohen represented clients in more than 15 cases, both civil and criminal, in the federal court in Johnstown.

They included two high-profile cases — a man accused of using a pipe bomb to blow up a home in Hollidaysburg and a former member of the Phoenix Fire Company in Hollidaysburg accused of stealing money from a state grant.

Cohen’s attorney could not be reached for comment on Friday.