Boston man allegedly filed fake $22 million Boston marathon victim claim
By Victor Trammell
   A 22-year-old man from Boston, Massachusetts faces serious charges after allegedly filing a fraudulent claim seeking compensation from a fund designated for victims of the April 15th Boston Marathon bombing.
According to court documents, Branden Mattier filed a claim to The One Fund, which said his late aunt (who passed away long ago) had both legs amputated after the terror attack on Boston that killed three people and injured 260.
The charges were filed against Mattier by the office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement on Tuesday that Mattier has been charged with attempted larceny and identity theft. Mattier was taken into custody on Tuesday after a sting operation conducted by the Massachusetts State Police.
During the sting operation, Mattier accepted a fake check from an undercover State Trooper. The fraudulent check handed to Mattier totaled $2,195,000. Mattier was scheduled to be arraigned on the charges he faces.
In her statement, Attorney General Coakley said:
   âBecause every dollar was allocated to victims, he [Mattier] sought to take these funds away from real victims of the Marathon attack and from the thousands of people who had so generously given to help those who truly need it.â (Portland Press Herald)
Coakley also said that Mat-tier came to a May 7th town hall meeting in Boston designated for people who sought information about the applying for compensation from The One Fund. Mattier then sent an email to the fundâs website on May 29 to see if his aunt could still make a claim as a double amputee if the amputation was expected in the future.
The One Fund got Mattierâs claim in June. They also got a letter dated May 2nd from Boston Medical Center, which claimed that Mattierâs aunt was a double amputee. However, Boston Medical Center did not authenticate the letter.
