Man Pleads No Contest to Impersonating Judge

A Bethlehem man pleaded no contest to impersonating a district judge while trying to settle an accident claim with his car insurance company, according to published reports.

Justin R. Serfass, 25, of 1345 Martin Court, was sentenced to one year of probation and fined $300 by Lehigh County Judge Robert Steinberg, according to The Express Times. By pleading no contest, Serfass did not admit guilt, but acknowledged that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him.

Serfass was charged in January after a civil claim identifying him as a district judge landed on the desk of South Whitehall Township District Judge Jacob Hammond.

Hammond did not recognize Serfass' name as an elected judge and inquired about him to H. Gordon Roberts, Lehigh County Magisterial District Judge Administrator, according to the complaint.

In 2011, Serfass ran and lost against Wayne Maura for district judge in West Bethlehem.

Two Erie Insurance Co. agents who were investigating Serfass' accident claim said he told them during several conversations that he was a district judge, according to court records.

The claim sprang from a June 2011 two-car accident that happened at the corner of Cedar Crest Boulevard and Broadway, according to The Morning Call. Serfass was not happy with the Erie Insurance offer and tried to “up the ante” by claiming he was a district judge, the newspaper reported, quoting Lehigh County First Assistant District Attorney Steve Luksa.