A well-known attorney in Fulton County is facing charges after authorities accused her of forging a judge’s signature on a court order.
Elizabeth Vila Rogan was indicted on a first-degree forgery charge after a court administrator said she signed Roswell Municipal Judge Brian Hansford’s name on a court document, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard called it a “serious matter,” Channel 2 reported.
“Why the lawyer would do that is really hard to understand,” he said.
The alleged incident happened May 22, according to Fulton County jail records.
Channel 2 reported that Rogan went to see a Roswell court administrator to have an order on status of firearms rights stamped. The administrator asked Rogan when the document was signed, and Rogan replied it had been signed that morning, Channel 2 reported.
However, the administrator knew Hansford was out of the office that day, the news station reported. A text from the judge indicated he did not sign the order, Channel 2 reported.
Rogan’s attorney, Michael Moran, told Channel 2 he believes the charge is predicated on “a misunderstanding, a series of miscommunications and the truth is that there has been absolutely no crime committed.” In a statement to the news station, he said Rogan “submitted a clarifying order in the belief that she had authority to do so.”
A Roswell police document says: “Judge Hansford believes that Ms. Rogan became impatient with how court proceedings were moving forward, so she signed the document herself,” Channel 2 reported.
Rogan, a former Fulton County magistrate judge, was booked into the Fulton jail Wednesday. She was released the same day on $10,000 bond, jail records show.
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