by Alex Lloyd Gross
Paul Richard Johnson, 55, of Miami, Florida, was never employed by the US Justice Department. That fact did not stop him from writing several letters to car manufacturers in an attempt to intimidate the company after he fell behind in his payments.
Johnson is accused of affixing the seal to letters he wrote . In one instance he used in a letter the seal and wording of , US Department of Justice” and a subheading of “National Security Division.” Johnson wrote this letter to complain that the company had “reported me to all three credit bureaus for a loan write-off.”
Further, Johnson wrote that “DOJ’s internal security team which monitors my, and other, personal information” had purportedly confirmed that the automobile manufacturer had reported a delinquency that led to the notification of the three credit bureaus. Johnson signed the letter, described his position as “Supervising Attorney, Criminal Division,” and listed a fraudulent DOJ e-mail address.
Again, he wrote more letters including one, around October 15, 2024, Johnson wrote a letter, this one directed to the automobile manufacturer’s corporate offices in Bergen County, New Jersey. As with the three earlier letters, Johnson used letterhead featuring the DOJ seal and referred to the “US Department of Justice” under which appeared the subheading “National Security Division.” Johnson rehashed many of the statements and requests from his earlier letters, but added, in the concluding paragraph, that “[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.” Beneath his signature, Johnson listed his occupation as “Assistant United States Attorney,” and listed the same fake e-mail account purportedly with the DOJ.
If convicted, he could be sentenced to five years in federal prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. McCarren of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark. is prosecuting the case. He is a legitimate Federal Prosecutor.