ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Police said a man made up a fake email account, bank statements and wire transfers, posed as a local attorney and tried to trick his own real estate agent and the homeowners so he could scam his way into a mansion worth $5 million.
On Wednesday, Timothy Bierly appeared in front of a judge for his preliminary hearing.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >> Real estate rip-off? Richland Township man accused of attempting to scam his way into $5M mansion
Bierly faces numerous charges after police say he tried to scam his way into a Richland township home worth over $5 million.
Wednesday afternoon, a Northern Regional Police officer testified a fake Gmail account had been set up under the identity of a Pittsburgh attorney.
The officer said Bierly told him he chose that attorney because he had tax issues and had reached out to that office before and that the attorney’s name was still fresh in his head.
The officer testified that through search warrants, they were able to find that the Gmail account where Bierly was posing as an attorney, and that the IP addresses where the account was used were traced to Bierly’s home and cell phone.
Police said they also found a Google drive attached to the false account that had falsified documents.
The officer testified there were also Google searches made for “fill in the blank escrow forms” and questions like how to send a fake transfer.
Bierly is facing charges including forgery and criminal attempted theft by deception.
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