Attorney Admits Creating Fake Email to Impersonate Opposing Counsel

In a federal lawsuit in Florida, attorney Nicholas Chiappetta’s bid for a multimillion-dollar defamation victory has taken a turn — from a fight over damages to a battle for his career, possibly his freedom, after admitting he created an email account impersonating opposing counsel.

Chiappetta represents TikTok personality Danesh Noshirvan. His legal adversary Patrick Trainor represents Florida plastic surgeon Ralph Garramone and his wife, Jennifer Couture, in a defamation lawsuit. Only weeks ago, Chiappetta was demanding $35 million, speaking with the confidence of a man certain of victory. Now, that bravado has curdled into confession—an admission that he created an email account mimicking Trainor.

A Name, a Number, a Lie

Chiappetta claims he never used the deceptive email account but admitted he created one.

Trainor’s email is pt@ptesq.com. Chiappetta’s fake one was ptesq1@yahoo.com. He built his lie on a single keystroke—a “1” slipped into a name.

Trainor found it by accident. Chiappetta filed a motion, and, stupidly, in a screenshot, which was meant to show the defendants were wrong, Chiappetta proved he was – on the record. Chiapetta inadvertantly captured (in his screenshot) the tabs of his computer. In the right corner, there it was: a Yahoo Mail tab which read, “(1 unread) – ptesq1@.”

Trainor caught it. On June 30, 2025, he wrote to Chiapetta, sending the copy of the screenshot taken from Chiappetta’s filing. Trainor wanted to know why Chiapetta had an email account on his computer that was almost identical to his own.

The Confession

At first Chiappetta answered like a boy caught with his hand in the jar. “I do not understand,” he wrote. “Please explain what you mean.”

Trainor replied, “You really can’t be as stupid as your email below. The image is from your own screen—page twelve of your filing—showing you impersonating my address.”

Chiappetta admitted: “I made a Yahoo.com email account in 2023 utilizing the email address ptesq1@yahoo.com. After the account was made, I never used the account. Childish perhaps in retrospect. But definitely nothing nefarious as you falsely allege.”

The Evidence 

Trainor knew a screenshot doesn’t prove he did not use the account. A user can delete emails from folders, and once Trash is emptied, Yahoo shows no trace of prior messages or deletions. There was evidence, however, that Chiappetta was lying. Chiappetta said he made the account in 2023 and never used it. But the account was still open in 2025, two years later, right in the middle of the case. 

Yahoo’s policy is that if you don’t log in for a year, the account is deleted—emails, folders, contacts, everything. It’s not dormant. It’s gone.

“After 12 months or more of not using your mailbox, it is considered inactive. It will stop receiving new emails, and all mailbox contents, folders, contacts and settings are permanently deleted.”

The email account appeared in a 2025 screenshot . That means it had been accessed within the past year—otherwise, Yahoo would’ve shut it down.

Trainor took his grievance to the court in writing.  Magistrate Judge Kyle C. Dudek replied that if he wanted the court to act, he’d need to file a motion under Local Rule 3.01.

What Comes Next

Trainor can move to compel Chiappetta to produce everything tied to the Yahoo account—all emails, and whether it was used to create social media or other online profiles. If the motion moves forward, the court could order a forensic exam of Chiappetta’s computers and phones, depose him about the account, and verify the data chain. The judge could question Chiappetta about whether other fake accounts or fabricated evidence exist.

The problem for Chiappetta is he admitted the offense. He called it childish, but it’s still an admission. In legal terms, he conceded the actus reus but denied the mens rea. If  Trainor makes a formal motion or a referral to the bar, the Florida Bar Association could investigate and issue recommendations for penalties ranging from a public reprimand to suspension or disbarment. 

The Account

There could be only one reason Chiappetta made that email account. To make people think they were talking to Trainor when they weren’t. Maybe witnesses. Maybe experts. Maybe it was a way to entrap people into confessions that would help his case, thinking they were helping the other side.  The email address—ptesq1@yahoo.com—exists only to mimic a real one, pt@ptesq.com. 

Even if he never sent a message, Chiappetta’s initial purpose was deception.  But if Chiappetta used the fake account – even once – to impersonate Trainor – it might meet the elements of federal identity theft, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and false statements, along with Florida crimes of criminal impersonation and computer fraud.

Maybe it was childish. But Chiappetta is, at present, still a lawyer. Both the court and the public deserve to know if he used it to trick anyone. Then it’s no longer childish—it’s criminal. Even a single email can write its own indictment. Meet Nicholas Chiappetta: a man chasing millions who may have stumbled into something more expensive—the price of deceit.

Frank Parlato

Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist, media strategist, publisher, and legal consultant.

Frank Parlato

Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist, media strategist, publisher, and legal consultant.

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