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Man Fakes Death to Dodge Felony Charges — Here’s How He Got Caught
Don’t leave your keys in the ignition when Robert Berger is in town. In December 2018, the New York man confessed he stole a Lexus. Just 6 months later, Berger admitted he tried stealing a pickup truck.
Not surprisingly, prosecutors weren’t impressed by Berger’s crimes. A hearing was scheduled for both cases on October 22, 2019 to determine sentencing. Prior to this hearing, the Lexus theft was classified as possession of stolen property in the fourth degree. The truck incident was classified as attempted grand larceny in the third degree.
Things weren’t looking good for the New York felon. Terrified at the prospect of facing time behind bars, Berger came up with a brilliant plan: He’d fake his own death.
After getting his fiancé on board, Berger unleashed his creative talents on a homemade certificate of death. The forged death certificate indicated Berger took his own life in Mercer County, New Jersey, on September 21, 2019.
All was well, at least at first. Berger’s criminal defense attorney, Meir Moza, fell for the scam and submitted the fake death certificate to court approximately one week later. The district attorney’s office accepted the certificate…
