Robert Berger really did not want to go to jail.
According to CNN, the 25-year-old was previously charged with fourth-degree possession of stolen property in December 2018 as well as third-degree attempted grand larceny in June 2019.
He pleaded guilty to both charges.
Berger was originally scheduled to be sentenced to jail on October 22, 2019, but during the hearing, Berger's former attorney, Meir Moza, said that Berger had died.
He even provided the court a copy of Berger's death certificate.
Moza then confessed. He informed the judge that Berger "engaged in a conspiracy and used him to attempt to perpetrate a fraud" against his office and prosecutors, and that he would no longer represent him.
Investigators later found that Berger had fled the state and was currently jailed in Delaware County, Pennsylvania for unrelated charges. He was then extradited to Nassau County in January.
Moza said he had been working on a plea deal for Berger until he decided to fake his own death. Now, he faces up to four more years in jail due to additional charges.
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