Mass. Man Fakes Death To Beat Traffic Violation, So Now He's in a Lot More Trouble

SALEM, Mass. (CBS/AP) Massachusetts authorities are searching for a man they say faked his death just to avoid charges of driving without a license.

The Gloucester Times reported that 42-year-old Michael Rosen of Salem recently sent another man to court to file a certificate showing that Rosen had died the previous week. After that, a judge dismissed the traffic case.

But a suspicious probation officer reportedly heard from a colleague in a neighboring town that Rosen had checked in four days after he was supposed to be dead.

Further investigation apparently showed the death certificate contained spelling errors in the place of birth, cause of death, and the cemetery name. Salem officials confirmed the document was a fake, including lacking a raised seal and being printed on the wrong kind of paper.

With rumors of his death greatly exaggerated, Rosen now faces additional charges of forgery and counterfeiting, to go with driving without a license.