Gerald Unger, who spent more than a year in federal prison for fraudulently claiming to be a doctor and a lawyer, has set up shop on Tyler Avenue in East Wareham, listing himself as an M.D., J.D. and LL.M.

In a phone conversation this morning, Unger said he is not praticing medicine or law in Wareham, but helps veterans with their legal paper work. He called himself "retired."

"It's strictly limited to that," he said. "I don't give medical advice. I don't give legal advice."

Unger, who also goes by "Gere Unger," had applied for a position on Wareham’s Board of Health. He said this morning that he had withdrawn his application for the position, and did not appear before the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, when he was scheduled to be interviewed.

However, at that meeting, Selectmen Ellen Begley and Steve Holmes both referred to him as “Dr. Unger” when asking him to step forward for the planned interview.

In 2005 Unger was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison on two counts of mail fraud in Syracuse, NY. He served at Federal Medical Center Devens in Fort Devens, MA until January 2007.

According to court documents, the offense for which he was convicted involved defrauding a disabled man of his home while claiming to be a doctor and a lawyer.

In 1983, Unger was charged with practicing medicine without a license by the Connecticut attorney general, according to The New London Day.

More than 10 years later, an arrest warrant was issued for Unger in 1999 in Palm Beach, Florida, for “posing as an attorney in an attempt to defraud clients” according to The Palm Beach Post.

It's unclear when Unger moved to Wareham.

This morning Unger said he does not want to be involved with the Board of Health because he views it as "fairly weak." He said he was also disappointed to see there was no American flag displayed at the Board of Health meeting he attended.