Hudson Man Sentenced for Wire Fraud

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Hudson, South Dakota, man convicted of Wire Fraud was sentenced on September 29, 2020, by U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol.

Christopher Day, age 31, was sentenced to 5 years of probation, restitution in the amount of $319,041.86 to Pedersen Machine, Inc., and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Day was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 4, 2020.  He pled guilty on June 17, 2020.

The conviction stemmed from incidents starting in 2015 until 2019, when Day, who was employed by Pedersen Machine, Inc., engaged in a scheme to steal tractor parts belonging to his employer, and selling them online. 

Day would order the parts for himself but would not pay for them.  Instead, he would make it appear that the parts were ordered on behalf of Pedersen Machine’s customers.  When the parts arrived, he would take the parts home and canceled the orders on Pedersen Machine’s computer system so the legitimate customer did not receive an invoice.  He would then sell the parts online from his home and convert the profits to his own use.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Division of Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.