Cohen

HOLLIDAYSBURG — A former Blair County attorney accused of forging documents in a June 2023 Fayette County custody case is pleading guilty to a single felony charge in exchange for the other charges against him being dismissed.

Michael B. Cohen, 41, was facing two felony counts of forgery and single misdemeanor counts of tampering with records, tampering with public records and obstructing the administration of law enforcement or other government functions. He remains free on unsecured $75,000 bail.

Cohen pleaded guilty to one felony count of forgery – unauthorized act in writing in exchange for the other charges to be dismissed. He left sentencing open to the court.

Defense attorney Daniel Kiss and Senior Deputy Attorney General Megan McGoron agreed there would be no restitution and sentencing would be scheduled for a later time, as victims wished to read impact statements.

In the case, Cohen created a fake custody order that prompted a child’s mother to assume primary custody and transport the child from Fayette County to Blair County in December 2022. The child’s father had primary custody while the mother had limited rights for transporting the child to Blair County based on the existing custody order.

Cohen created the fake order on his computer, scribbled a signature to mimic that of a judge’s and then presented the order to the child’s mother on

Dec. 23. The child’s father, who expected to exchange custody with the child’s mother on Jan. 1, initially went to police, then filed a petition with the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas, accusing the mother of violating custody arrangements.

Two other cases against Cohen were also scheduled for plea court Monday afternoon, but were instead placed on the county’s trial list for jury trials. Kiss and First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith told presiding Senior Judge Pamela Ruest they didn’t believe they could come to a resolution in those cases.

In the first, Cohen is facing a single felony count of tampering with public records and single misdemeanor counts of hindering apprehension or destroying evidence, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and obstructing the administration of law enforcement or other government function.

Cohen is accused of presenting a document to Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones for a signature on March 15, 2023, but dated the document for March 14 to help his client avoid arrest for violating a protection-from-abuse order. Cohen’s client was accused of criminal trespassing and violating a PFA that barred him from a residence on Greenway Drive in Altoona. Granted Feb. 21, the order evicted the client from the home and was effective through Aug. 21.

In the second case to be scheduled for a jury trial, Cohen faces single felony counts of theft by deception – false impression and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds for allegedly costing a client their home and custody of a stepchild.

A victim only noticed the mortgage was not being paid when the mortgage company notified him of the missed payments and possible home foreclosure.

Police records state the victim built his home between 2004 and 2005 with an initial loan of $278,000. The property had since been assessed at about $444,800. In 2018, when the victim’s mortgage was sold to a different company and was told his payment was going to increase, he hired Cohen to “correct the issue.” Cohen told the victim to stop paying the mortgage company and send Cohen the monthly mortgage payments to send to the lender on the victim’s behalf.

In early 2023, the victim and his wife received paperwork in the mail that informed them their house was going to be a part of a sheriff’s sale. When they questioned Cohen about the documentation, Cohen allegedly said it was a formality and not to worry about it. The victim and his wife then received a letter that stated they had to vacate the property.

The victims are requesting total restitution of $564,700, according to the affidavit.

Cohen pleaded guilty in July to twice forging a federal judge’s signature on court orders in 2022. He previously entered not guilty pleas in U.S. District Court but entered the guilty pleas in exchange for a two-level downward adjustment to the sentencing guidelines applicable in Cohen’s case.

Sentencing in the federal case is scheduled for Nov. 18.

The felony counts filed against Cohen accuse him of sending an email to a client on May 18, 2022 with an attached court document falsely recognizing the resolution of a civil case and awarding $10,000 in sanctions and legal fees. The document bore the false signature of Matthew Brann, chief judge of the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The second forgery occurred Oct. 13, 2022, when Cohen sent an email to a client advising her of the resolution of a civil case involving a health care provider. The email was accompanied by a letter — with Brann’s false signature — indicating that a resolution was reached with a $10,000 settlement in the client’s favor.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.