Four Indicted on Mail and Wire Fraud Charges

A federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned a three-count indictment against four men from the Mahoning County area for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Indicted were James J. Landis, age 56, of Canfield; Thomas V. Franco, age 39, of Campbell; and brothers Paul J. Amon, aka Jeff Amon, age 56, of Boardman, and Joseph P. Amon, age 64, of Canfield.

The indictment alleges that from December 2009 through May, 2010 the men were involved in a fraudulent insurance scheme involving Landis’ floral shop, Mum’s The Word, in Boardman, and a building contractor from the same area. The scam involved the defendants staging an accident by purposely driving a truck through the front of the store. Fraudulent insurance claims were filed. The scam resulted in an estimated total loss to three separate insurance companies of over $80,000.

The indictment resulted from an extensive investigation conducted by the Boardman Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was presented for indictment by Assistant United States Attorney Linda H. Barr.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.