Innocent until proven a dumbass: South End man charged with submitting bogus Marathon-victim money request

Branden Mattier, 22, was arrested today when an undercover state trooper gave him a bogus check for $2.2 million for the pain and suffering he allegedly suffered when his aunt's legs were damaged so severely by the Marathon bombings that she would need a double amputation.

The problem, the state Attorney General's office reports, is that the aunt actually died 10 years ago.

According to prosecutors, Mattier attended an informational session for Marathon survivors in May, then filed a claim along with a letter allegedly from the chief of trauma services at Boston Medical Center about his aunt's injuries:

According to officials at the Boston Medical Center, Mattier’s aunt never received treatment at the hospital in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing nor did the letter originate from the trauma center. The investigation further revealed through public records that Onevia Bradley had actually died more than 10 years earlier.

The One Fund submitted Mattier's request to law-enforcement officials.

Mattier now faces charges of attempted larceny over $250 and identity theft, the AG's office says. In a statement, Attorney General Martha Coakley says:

We allege that this defendant attempted to defraud The One Fund of more than $2 million. Because every dollar was allocated to victims, he sought to take these funds away from real victims of the Marathon attack and from the thousands of people who had so generously given to help those who truly need it. We commend The One Fund for uncovering this and for referring it to our office for further investigation.

Innocent, etc.