Man pleads guilty to forging licenses

TAMPA -- A man who misrepresented his credentials to win a job at DACCO, the drug-treatment center, pleaded guilty Monday to forgery and was sentenced to 24 months of probation.

Richard Mark Fischler, 53, used fake licenses as a mental health counselor and a marriage and family therapist to get hired in 2000, prosecutors said.

Fischler also falsely claimed that he had degrees from Eckerd College and the University of South Florida, authorities said. At DACCO, Fischler evaluated drug offenders for placement in treatment programs, the state said.

When Circuit Judge Rex Barbas asked Fischler why he had falsified his credentials, Fischler said he had wanted to help people.

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