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North Reading Man Pleads Guilty To Posing As Land Surveyor

BOSTON (CBS) – A North Reading man pleaded guilty to charges that he lied while passing himself off as a land surveyor and stole the identities of licensed professionals.

The I-Team initially exposed Martin Finch's practices in June 2014 when a customer reported paying him for land surveying work that turned out to be fraudulent.

Finch told customers he was a licensed surveyor, but used a number and stamp that belonged to other surveyors.

Wednesday in Woburn District Court, Finch pleaded guilty to charges of larceny by false pretenses over $250, identity theft, and unlicensed practice of engineering or land surveying.

"This is an instance where an individual felt he could defraud clients who sought his services in good faith," said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. "Thank you to our partners at the North Reading Police Department and the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure for their work in ending Mr. Finch's deceptive practices."

Finch was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for three years on several conditions.

The North Reading man can no longer practice engineering or land surveying and must pay $1,400 in restitution to victims. Finch will also undergo drug evaluation and forfeit the computer investigators seized from his home while executing a search warrant.

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