The saying “fake it ’til you make it” almost worked for one New Hampshire woman who attempted to impersonate a prosecutor in order to get charges against her dropped. The surprising thing is that she almost got away with it to, if not for a pesky forensic examiner.
Lisa Landon, 33, faces one charge of false personation and six charges of falsifying physical evidence in connection with her attempt to file false documents on behalf of the prosecution. According to the criminal complaint, Landon submitted fake documents in three different court cases, oftentimes doing so through New Hampshire’s electronic court filing system.
Acting As The Prosecution
It appears that Landon almost got away with it too, until Hillsborough County prosecutors heard from a state forensic examiner, who had been scheduled to perform a competency evaluation on Landon. The examiner saw a note in Landon’s file saying that the charges had been dropped and was wondering if the capacity evaluation should still go forward.
“The file purported to contain a nolle prosequi (drop the charges) filed by Assistant County Attorney Patrice Casian, but it quickly became evident to the State that the document, as well as other documents in the file, had been filed fraudulently,” wrote Superior Court Judge David Anderson in a ruling regarding the case.
In addition to trying to get charges dropped, the criminal indictment alleges that Landon filed an order falsifying a ruling from retired Superior Court Judge Gillian Abramson waiving filing fees for a lawsuit Landon brought against Hillsborough County. The state says Landon also filed a separate order on behalf of a relative to stop guardianship proceedings involving Landon’s child.
A better motto to live by is that “the best offense is a good defense,” and that’s what we can provide at Appelman Law Firm. If you find yourself in a sticky spot like Landon, your best option is to pick up the phone and call an experienced defense lawyer. We know how the prosecution will work to build their case and we can put forth a strong defense that casts you in a good light with the court. In many instances, we’ve gotten the charges reduced or dropped altogether. If you’d like to learn more about how we can work for you, give our talented team of lawyers a call today at (952) 224-2277.
