‘Good talker’ faces charges

A man in his 20s who moved in top Republican circles where he flaunted his connections and Harvard Law School pedigree, raking in favors and fees on big real estate deals, is a fraud whose life resembles a movie plot, according to Broward prosecutors and detectives.

Robert Charles Jones “Chas” Brady, 26, gained people’s trust -- and at least $50,000 of their money -- with his clean-cut demeanor, said Broward Sheriff’s Office Detective John Calabro.

“Evidently he’s a good talker,” Calabro said. “He’s a very smooth, convincing con artist with a smile. . . . He embarrassed a lot of people.”

He has no college degree.

Brady, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is charged with forgery, grand theft, a scheme to defraud and six counts of practicing law without a license. He is being held on a $350,000 bond. If convicted of all the charges, he could be face 95 years in prison.

Prosecutor David Schulson likened Brady’s exploits to the Leonardo DiCaprio movie “Catch Me if You Can,” the real-life story of a teenager in the 1960s who posed as a Pan Am pilot and a pediatrician while papering the world with bad checks.

“Brady’s criminal activities demonstrate . . . utter disrespect, disregard and disdain of the law,” Schulson said in a court filing.

Brady’s defense attorney, Lawrence Livoti, said the allegations were false. He said Brady is a Harvard undergraduate who told people the truth: that he worked for the law firm of his ex-stepfather, James Eddy, a former Republican state representative from Lighthouse Point.

“This is not a question of somebody working out of a warehouse with a desk and a lamp and a law book on his table. He dealt with clients, he was a consultant to land use and zoning,” Livoti said. “If people misunderstood that, that’s regrettable.”

One who feels victimized is Dr. Zachariah P. Zachariah, director of cardiology at Holy Cross Hospital and a friend to and fundraiser for the Bush family. He invited Brady to restaurants, his yacht and his home.

Zachariah “feels very betrayed, as do a lot of other people,” said his attorney David Bogenschutz.

“He [Brady] managed to get Dr. Zachariah to trust him like the people he actually got money from. It’s a sad tale.”

Authorities point to an Oct. 23 political fundraiser Brady attended for presidential hopeful Fred Thompson at Zachariah’s Sea Ranch Lakes home.

“Dr. Zachariah introduced Brady to Sen. Thompson, wherein Brady continued to hold himself out to be a Harvard Law graduate and practicing attorney,” according to Brady’s arrest affidavit.

Mortgage broker Naveen Saddi met Brady on Zachariah’s yacht, the arrest affidavit said. Brady convinced Saddi to add him to his American Express Card. Authorities say Brady ran up $18,450.18 in charges between Sept. 13 and Oct. 28.

Zachariah also introduced Brady to James W. Holton, a developer and the chairman of the Florida Transportation Commission. The arrest affidavit said, “Brady spoke like an attorney and Holton was actually impressed with the depth of his knowledge in the land-use area.”