Mar 23, 2016 By The 2 min read

A retired state police trooper from Monongahela was charged with mail fraud and forging and counterfeiting a court seal in an indictment unsealed Wednesday in federal court in Pittsburgh.

Steven P. Grados, 51, was eligible to receive a pension from the State Employees Retirement System (SERS), and his ex-wife was entitled to a portion of that pension, according to the indictment.

Between January and July 2014, Grados allegedly tried to defraud SERS so that his ex-wife, identified only as K.L., would not receive a portion of his pension by creating the fake court order.

The indictment alleged the document, which was dated April 1, 2013, was signed by former U.S. District Judge Gary L. Lancaster — who was deceased at the time the court order was allegedly written.

The indictment charged that Grados mailed the document — a court memorandum opinion and order ordering K.L. to stop receiving funds — to SERS.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years on each count of mail fraud and five years on the single count for forging the signature of a federal judge, a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the three counts, or both. Under the sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.