Phony document riddled with spelling and syntax errors mysteriously appeared on Mar-a-Lago court docketSept. 17, 2022The document remained late Thursday on the court docket, but it is a clear fabrication. A review of dozens of court records and interviews by the Associated Press suggest the document originated with a serial forger behind bars at a federal prison complex in North Carolina.
The incident also suggests that the court clerk was easily tricked into believing it was real, landing the document on the public docket in the Mar-a-Lago search warrant case. It also highlights the vulnerability of the U.S. court system and raises questions about the court’s vetting of documents that purport to be official records.
The AP is not identifying the inmate by name because he has a documented history of mental illness and has not been charged with a crime related to the filing.
“There is simply nothing indicating that he has any authorization to act on behalf of the United States,” the judge in the Georgia case wrote.
But despite the clear warning signs — including a stamp noting the Georgia case number on the phony warrants — the filing still made its way onto the docket.
Spokespeople for the Justice Department and the Treasury Department would not comment. They declined to answer on the record when asked if the document was false and why the government had not addressed it.
Representatives in the court clerk’s office and the magistrate judge overseeing the search warrant case did not respond to requests for comment.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/phony-document-riddled-with-spelling-and-syntax-errors-mysteriously-appeared-on-mar-a-lago-court-docket-01663364870?siteid=yhoof2
