One Fund scammers didn't commit identity fraud, but they're still guilty of attempted larceny and get to stay in prison, court rules

The Supreme Judicial Court today overturned the identify-fraud conviction of a South End man in a Marathon-bombing benefits case because the state law used against him would have required him to benefit under a fraudulent name - and he used his real name in applying for $2 million in payments, rather than the name of the doctor whose name he forged on an application letter.

But, the court continued, Branden Mattier - and his brother Domunique Grice - were properly convicted of attempted larceny and conspiracy and so get to continue to enjoy three-year prison sentence for using that forged letter to claim Marathon-bombing benefits for their aunt's double amputation, something that would have been difficult for her to actually undergo, given that she'd died in 2000.

As part of the application, Mattier downloaded a form from the Boston Medical Center, then turned that into a bogus letter from a doctor there, complete with a forged signature.

Mattier received only probation on the identity-fraud conviction, which means that the three years he and his brother got for the other charges remains.