Bergen County Man Admits Stealing Millions Of Dollars From Lenders And Corporations In Wire Fraud Scheme

NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man today admitted that he defrauded lenders and corporations of $4.9 million by impersonating two bank executives interested in funding syndicated loans for global companies, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Matthew O’Callaghan, 43, of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to an indictment charging him with one count of wire fraud.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From 2016 through 2019, O’Callaghan defrauded at least two global financial services groups and four global companies of millions of dollars by deceiving them into believing that “Bank A” was agreeing to commit funds to revolving credit facilities. He contacted the victim-lenders and victim-companies using the aliases “Edward Tierney” and “Michael Nash,” whom he falsely represented were executives at Bank A. O’Callaghan induced the victim-lenders and victim-companies into agreeing to pay Bank A to take on a commitment to fund revolving credit facilities.

O’Callaghan submitted numerous fraudulent documents to the victim-lenders and victim-companies that were designed to deceive them into believing that Nash and Tierney were legitimate representatives of Bank A, when in fact they were not. Specifically, O’Callaghan created email addresses to resemble legitimate Bank A email addresses, false email signature blocks for Tierney and Nash that bore the Bank A logo and listed the business address for Bank A, fraudulent wiring instructions bearing Bank A’s logo and address, and a tax form bearing a tax identification number for Bank A.

O’Callaghan directed the victim-lenders and victim-companies to wire funds to a bank account at Bank A that O’Callaghan controlled and then converted the money for personal expenses, the purchase of an automobile, gambling, travel, and payments to a private club.

The wire fraud charge to which O’Callaghan pleaded guilty carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and a potential $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for April 28, 2021.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, and inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Newark Division, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Fayer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.

Defense counsel: Ricardo Solano Jr. Esq., Newark