TWO OXFORD MEN CHARGED WITH $2 MILLION FRAUD AGAINST IRISH BUSINESSMAN
United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - New England Field Division, announced that ALLEN SEYMOUR, age 39, of 23 Manor Lane, Oxford, MA, was charged in an Information with one count of wire fraud and one count of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud, and RAYMOND A. DESAUTELS III, age 42, of 57 Millbury Rd., Oxford, MA, was charged in an Information with two counts of wire fraud.
(Media-Newswire.com) - BOSTON, MA - Two Oxford men were charged on Friday in U.S. District Court in Worcester with engaging in schemes which resulted in the victim, an Irish businessman, being defrauded of at least $2 million.
United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - New England Field Division, announced that ALLEN SEYMOUR, age 39, of 23 Manor Lane, Oxford, MA, was charged in an Information with one count of wire fraud and one count of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud, and RAYMOND A. DESAUTELS III, age 42, of 57 Millbury Rd., Oxford, MA, was charged in an Information with two counts of wire fraud.
The two Informations together allege that DESAUTELS was an attorney with an office in Oxford who had represented SEYMOUR as closing attorney on several real estate transactions. DESAUTELS was retained in January 2008 to represent an Irish businessman to handle the purchase of a commercial real estate property located in Pennsylvania. The businessman provided DESAUTELS with nearly $2 million for the transaction which DESAUTELS was required to forward to the escrow agent by January 31st. The businessman had previously paid a $1 million deposit for the property, which was subject to being forfeited if the remaining funds were not received by January 31st. According to the charges, SEYMOUR persuaded DESAUTELS to disburse $1.94 million of those funds to assist SEYMOUR and his associates to fraudulently obtain bank financing. It is further alleged that DESAUTELS understood that SEYMOUR planned to use the money to falsely establish that they had a substantial net worth. The Information alleges that although SEYMOUR promised to return the funds promptly, he instead converted most of it to cash and attempted, unsuccessfully, to flee the United States.
The Information charges that DESAUTELS disbursed the money to SEYMOUR without the knowledge or approval of his client. It also charges that when SEYMOUR failed to promptly return the money, DESAUTELS told his client, falsely, that his local bank was to blame for being slow to wire the funds to the escrow agent. The Information also alleges that DESAUTELS prepared a fake bank document to falsely support his assertion that he had requested that the bank wire the funds. If convicted on these charges, DESAUTELS and SEYMOUR each face up to 20 years imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine on the wire fraud charges and SEYMOUR faces 5 years imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on the interstate transportation of property taken by fraud charge.
SEYMOUR was arrested in Florida on February 8, and charged there with evading currency reporting requirements by attempting to leave the United States with cash totaling $1,370,421 concealed in his luggage. On April 25th, SEYMOUR’s case in Florida was ordered transferred to Massachusetts for plea and sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - New England Field Division, with the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Balthazard of Sullivan’s Economic Crimes Unit.
The details contained in the Information are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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