Newton Man Back In Court After Stealing, Forgery Convictions

NEWTON, MA — The Newton man who was once convicted of stealing a laptop from the law school he was attending, and then who walked into the court clerk's office and changed the verdict from "guilty" to "not guilty" himself ( spoiler alert: he didn't graduate and he went to jail) is facing new charges: This time he's been charged with falsely claiming to have a law degree.

David Scher, 35, previously of Brighton but currently of Newton, was held Tuesday for allegedly violating conditions of parole after his release from jail in October. Prosecutors said he told a recruitment agency that he had a law degree and was employed as a patent attorney for a business.

Scher was convicted of larceny for stealing a laptop computer from Suffolk Law school, then convicted of forgery and other charges for doctoring the jury slip in the court file documenting that conviction. As a result, he never obtained a law degree, but he allegedly claimed to have one and to be employed as “in-house patent counsel” for an Abington business.

Scher, who was taken into custody Tuesday by parole officers for violating the terms of his release from incarceration on that latter conviction,was arraigned yesterday in the Boston Municipal Court. Instead of setting a bail he will remain in custody for breaking his parole, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.

In 2006 Scher was honored by the Association of Realtors as one of 30 under 30 who were making waves:

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After stealing the laptop in 2014 he was given a 90-day prison sentence, which a judge delayed for a two-year probationary period. During that time, Scher returned to the court clerk's office and asked on multiple occasions to view his verdict slip, which is a public record. On one of those visits, he allegedly replaced the copy with a forgery which checked the "not guilty" box.

The forged slip was also submitted under the pains and penalties of perjury to the Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons during administrative proceedings to revoke Scher’s broker’s license for his failure to report his conviction to the board.

A later charge of operating a vehicle without insurance brought Scher back before the Brighton Municipal Court, where an attorney presented the forged slip as evidence against the previous larceny conviction.

On Dec. 31 of that year, Scher filed a complaint with the state’s Department of Criminal Justice Information Services, claiming that the verdict at his trial was "not guilty" and that he had notified the court of the alleged error, according to the release.

In May of 2015, the same complaint surfaced in a letter to Suffolk University, which had denied Scher's degree based on his theft conviction. A scanned copy of his forged verdict slip was attached in an email from Scher's attorney, according to the release.

Scher ultimately pleaded guilty in April 2017 to charges of forgery, tampering with a court document, two counts of perjury, and three counts of uttering a false document. He was placed on probation. Scher was arrested for violating his probation on Nov. 21 and has remained in custody since that time.

He returns to court Feb. 23.

Previously on Patch:

Man Guilty of Forging 'Guilty' Verdict to 'Not Guilty'

Man Could Get 20 Years for Forging 'Not Guilty' Verdict

Charged With Perjury, Brighton Man Keeps Submitting 'Not Guilty'

Photo via Creative Commons on PixaBay courtesy "TryJimmy"