Man Charged With Forgery, Impersonation In Fairfield Case: Police

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Bridgeport man is charged with a felony after what started as a misdemeanor shoplifting case escalated when the defendant lied to Fairfield police about his identity, according to law enforcement.

Michael M. Brown, 48, was arrested March 25 and charged with sixth-degree larceny, interfering with an officer, impersonation and second-degree forgery, law enforcement said.

The case began Oct. 11 when officers responded to a shoplifting report at Stop & Shop, 760 Villa Ave., where a man was seen leaving the store with over $400 in Red Bull, hair products and paper towels, according to police. Officers briefly struggled with the suspect — Brown — who was arrested and charged, but identified himself as someone else, police said.

Law enforcement didn’t realize they’d been lied to until the suspect missed a court date and the person Brown had impersonated came to the station to ask why he received a letter stating there was a warrant for his arrest, according to police.

After police submitted the suspect's fingerprints to a state lab, Brown was identified and a warrant was issued for his arrest, law enforcement said. He is free on $5,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned April 13, according to court records.