Bust Me if You Can

Although bond requirements often require defendants to remain in the county, Judge Andrew Siegel kindly modified conditions for Brady. An order he signed says the defendant could "attend school in Boston temporarily." Although paperwork submitted to the court shows that Brady began the online registration process for Harvard Extension School's Fall 2007 semester, it's unclear whether he actually paid and attended.

As the investigation proceeded, detectives found more people who'd crossed Brady's path and fallen for his line of hype. Police reports show that James Holton, a Jeb Bush appointee to the Florida Transportation Commission, thought Brady was an attorney and met with him and Eddy in Washington, D.C., to discuss a lobbying project. Two partners of a global corporation called General Crane "retained Eddy and Brady as co-counsel" and were set to pay the firm $450,000. In an incident similar to the Fardette deal, Brady allegedly enticed a client, Bernard Paul Hus (proprietor of Hypower, Inc.), to buy an $800,000 property with the intention of flipping it quickly; in an affidavit, Brady admitted forging documents to make it look like there was a buyer lined up.

In the fall of 2007, Brady was socializing on Dr. Zachariah's yacht, where he was introduced to affluent mortgage broker Naveen Saddi. Somehow, during the conversation, Saddi agreed to obtain an exclusive Black American Express credit card, linked to his account but bearing Brady's name. When the card came in the mail, it said "Charles Brady, Esq." From September 13 through October 28, 2007, Brady racked up $18,450.18 in charges. He started to repay Saddi — but that November, before he could finish, Broward Sheriff's investigators arrested him a third time. This time his bond was revoked.

In addition to the criminal complaints in Broward County Court — there were now six — several of Brady's alleged victims filed civil lawsuits against him and his stepfather. At last count, the Florida Bar was also investigating five complaints lodged against Eddy, who did have a license to revoke.

"I don't have anything against his father," former Pompano mayor John Rayson says. "I guess he had a soft spot for his son, which is understandable. I feel bad for Jim Eddy."

"The shame of it all," says Senator Geller with a sigh, "is that this kid is a likable kid, and if he'd just done things honestly, he'd have a brilliant career in front of him." Geller says his trust may be irretrievably broken. "If Chas said it was daylight outside, you'd have to go outside and check."

---

According to Detective John Calabro, an economic crimes investigator with the Broward Sheriff's Office, Brady's deception was not limited to business associates. Even Brady's girlfriend thought he was a Harvard Law grad.

During Calabro's testimony at a hearing to revoke Brady's bond, Calabro said that the young woman attended functions, both locally and in New York, with Brady and Dr. Zachariah. When she learned of his arrest, "she was distraught and destroyed," Calabro said.

Dr. Glen Caddy, a professor in clinical psychology, had counseled Brady since 2004. He too testified at the hearing. He tried to cull sympathy for the defendant. Brady's natural father was abusive, Caddy said, and addicted to alcohol. Young Chas grew up in this environment, at times having to protect his own sister. As a result, he suffered from depression and a personality disorder.

"At about age 13, Mr. Brady made certain decisions about how he was going to live his life." Caddy said. He "determined that he was never going to not have money in his pocket, and he was never going to have a lack of status. " His "fantasies about practicing law" were developed so he'd feel more important. "Because, fundamentally, he has a very limited sense of his own intrinsic worth."

"I think," Dr. Caddy said, "that his time in detention, and the reality of the forces that he now has to face, have actually been beneficial to him, because I think they have provided him with an ultimate reality check."

Prosecutor David Schulson asked perhaps the most obvious question: "he has the intellectual ability, so why didn't he go through college, and go through law school?"

"Because," Caddy replied, "He believed he knew everything there was to know without going to college."

Schulson conceded that Brady's crime wasn't nearly as bad as aggravated battery or armed robbery — but "emotionally, people are humiliated, depressed, distraught by what he has done to them."

---

Brady's defense lawyer had an interesting comeback.

"He was leading people to believe he was an attorney," Lawrence Livoti said. "That's not the same as practicing law, Judge."

Pointing out that Brady is facing a massive prison sentence for a nonviolent crime, Livoti now says that the charges are a clear instance of "overprosecution, period." Hanging in the air was the question of whether the state is being aggressive because of the high-powered nature of the victims involved.

"It is illogical to prosecute somebody and expect restitution if you want that person to go to prison," Livoti says. "It is the equivalent of needing a quart of milk and sending the cow to the slaughterhouse."