New Haven, Conn. ? A father was arrested on charges of faking cystic fibrosis in his son by keeping the boy thin and fabricating medical bills – a story that authorities say fooled even his estranged wife.

Michael Bradway, 38, who has a history of forgery and larceny, was arrested Wednesday. The boy, now 9, was put in state care last year and immediately began to gain weight and thrive, according to court papers. He now lives with his mother.

Cystic fibrosis, which can be fatal, causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. It affects about 30,000 people in the United States.

Bradway was on suicide watch Thursday because he apparently attempted to kill himself shortly before he was arrested, authorities said. Prosecutor John Massameno said Bradway was supposed to turn himself into police, but authorities received a 911 call and found him in a bathtub full of water with his clothes still on and a belt tied around his neck. He was treated at an area hospital before he was arrested, Massameno said.

Authorities said Bradway began fabricating medical bills in 2001 when the boy was 5. He also put the child on a severe diet to make him thin. To duck doctors, he told school officials that the boy could not be immunized for religious reasons.

The boy frequently missed school, and authorities said Bradway convinced school officials that his son needed to take medication every two hours.

His public defender, James Longwell, called the case a “parting shot in a divorce action” and said other facts will come out that will “put a different light on this.”

“I think he had a good-faith basis to believe there may have been cystic fibrosis,” he said.