By Pete Brush (April 14, 2022, 3:18 PM EDT) — A former California lawyer on Thursday admitted faking a $16.5 million General Motors injury settlement, copping to a conspiracy charge three days after federal prosecutors in New York said he would face an added aggravated identify theft count if he stood trial.
Defendant Christopher Hammatt, 52, copped to a count of wire fraud conspiracy before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe, who set a July 26 sentencing date.
Hammatt used the fake settlement in 2017 to squeeze a $75,000 loan out of a litigation settlement funding company and got $30,000 of that money advanced to him and his wife, Susan, via…
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