A 58-year-old man faces sentencing after a Marion County jury found him guilty of attempting to use fraudulent legal documents to target local officials. Manes Pierre was convicted last week on charges of Fraudulent Simulation of a Legal Process and making a False Statement to the Department of State. Following the verdict, Pierre was taken into custody without bond.
The case dates back to August 2021, when the Marion County Sheriff’s Office discovered an unlawful lien filed with the Florida Department of State. The document claimed that several high-ranking officials owed a debt of $16 million. Among those listed as debtors were Marion County Sheriff William Woods, Clerk of Court Gregory C. Harrell, a Circuit Court Judge, and an Assistant State Attorney.
Investigators found that none of the officials named in the document had any prior knowledge of the debt or the lien. A records search eventually confirmed the filing was entirely fabricated…