Paul Richard Johnson, a 55-year-old Miami resident, has been charged with fraudulently using a government seal after allegedly affixing a fake Department of Justice (DOJ) seal to correspondence and falsely representing himself as a federal prosecutor to a luxury car company.
Johnson appeared in Newark federal court yesterday following his arrest last week in Miami. The charges stem from his attempts to resolve a dispute over an unpaid automobile lease with a manufacturer that had referred his debt to collections, resulting in negative credit report entries.
According to court documents, Johnson, who was never employed by the DOJ, began sending letters featuring the fraudulent seal and identifying himself as a "Supervising Attorney, Criminal Division" or "Assistant United States Attorney" with a fake DOJ email address. In one letter, he complained that the company had "reported me to all three credit bureaus for a loan write-off" and claimed "DOJ’s internal security team which monitors my, and other, personal information" had purportedly confirmed the delinquency.
A fourth letter, dated October 15, 2024, to the company's New Jersey offices, reiterated his demands and added, "[i]f there is anything you can do to facilitate an alternative outcome, I can categorically state that your actions will be looked upon both favorably by me, including but not limited to, the 94 other US Attorneys’ offices." U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced the charges, crediting the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the investigation.
The charge of fraudulently using a government seal carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Johnson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.