Knoxville Woman Indicted for Wire Fraud

KNOXVILLE, TN—A federal grand jury in Knoxville returned a 13-count indictment on October 5, 2010, against Leslie A. Janous, 35, of Knoxville, Tennessee, for wire fraud. Janous appeared in court on October 15, 2010, before U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. She was released pending trial, which has been set for December 13, 2010, in United States District Court, in Knoxville.

The indictment alleges that from February 12, 2010 through August 3, 2010, Janous used unauthorized wire transfers to move more than $2.3 million from her employer’s bank account to a bank account that she controlled. Additional details are included in the indictment, which has been filed with the court.

If convicted, Janous faces a term of up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a period of supervised release of up to five years. In addition, the indictment states that, upon conviction of Janous, the United States will seek forfeiture of all proceeds of the alleged unauthorized transfers, including the property located in Knoxville, Tennessee.

This indictment is the result of a joint investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank M. Dale, Jr. will represent the United States.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.