A lawsuit that was purportedly filed by the man who shot former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) claiming emotional and psychological distress is a hoax, according to 12 News.



The lawsuit was reportedly not filed by Jared Lee Loughner, but by a disturbed prisoner in Philadelphia pretending to be him, according to a federal court official.

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Loughner is serving seven consecutive life sentences for the shooting in January 2011 that killed six people and wounded 13 more.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of Arizona last Friday, a person claiming to be Loughner sought $25 million in damages from Giffords, claiming he is innocent and was "hand-picked" to be an assassin.



"My incarceration is illegal. I am actually innocent. I was framed," the complaint says.



It says that the government put a chip in his head to control his mind and that Giffords was not actually shot but is part of a "global plot to take away our civil liberties." He claimed to have waterboarded every day by agents from the National Security Agency, CIA and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.



He also claimed his attorney was ineffective and is a "global spy" who forced him to plead guilty.



12 News reported that the lawsuit will be screened and is likely to be dismissed.

Loughner had a long history of mental illness, Buzzfeed News reported.

In May 2011, a judge ruled he was mentally incompetent and could be forcibly medicated. In 2012, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ruled that Loughner was fit for trial, Buzzfeed reported.

“He is a different person in his appearance and his effect than when I first laid eyes on him,” the judge said.

Loughner was then sentenced to life in prison after the judge ruled, "he knew what he was doing, despite his mental illness," CNN reported.

— This story was first posted on March 23 and has been updated.