Macon attorney, paralegal accused of felonies in filing of court document

A Macon attorney and a paralegal who work for the same law firm are facing trial in Houston County Superior Court on felony charges of filing false documents and of false statements and writings.

Attorney David Dorer, 30, and paralegal Angelica Angel, 27, both have pleaded not guilty.

The case hinges on the filing of a court document known as a "verification of answer" in a civil case in which the Houston County Sheriff's Office is seeking forfeiture of vehicles seized in a criminal drug case. The vehicles belonged to Dorer's client.

A verification of answer is typically signed by the defendant to attest under oath that what has been filed as response to the forfeiture complaint is true and correct.

The indictment accuses Dorer and Angel of falsely misrepresenting that the client had appeared before Angel, a public notary, and attested that the statements in the response to the forfeiture complaint were true.

But their attorneys say no crime was committed. And Dorer's attorney, Franklin J. Hogue of Macon, noted that the issue is a procedural error that should not have resulted in felony charges.

According to Hogue, Dorer signed the verification with his client's first name, then the letters WEP, which stands for "with express permission," and then his own initials, DD.

Hogue said Dorer signed the document with the permission of his client, who was in jail at the time, to meet the filing deadline.

"Dorer didn't try to hide that fact," Hogue said. "He didn't sign (his client's) name trying to look like (his client) personally appeared before the notary. He signed his own initials."

Dorer filed the document incorrectly, and the matter should have been taken up in civil court as to whether the verification was valid, Hogue said.

"But you're charging us with fraud. Fraud means we were trying to fool somebody, and actually did fool somebody. Well, first, we weren't trying to fool anybody, and No. 2, we didn't fool anybody," Hogue said.

Brett Steger, a Florida attorney representing Angel, said, "She notarized a document that was signed with what was reported to be express permission, and that's the extent of her involvement. I don't believe she committed a crime.

"She fulfilled her job to notarize a document, and we look forward to presenting the case at trial."

District Attorney George Hartwig declined to comment on the pending case.

Dorer and Angel work for the Dozier Law Firm LLC, a nearly 50-year-old firm with offices in Macon and Savannah.

Staff writer Amy Leigh Womack contributed to this report.