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Press Release

Gretna Man Found Guilty of Mail Fraud

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that MELVIN LEWIS II, age 53, of Gretna, was convicted of thirty (30) counts of mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341) today after a one-day bench trial before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier. 

According court records, during the course of and subsequent to his employment by an off-shore services company located in Harvey, LEWIS devised a scheme to defraud various employees of that company and other public servants and officials.  As a part of his mail fraud scheme, LEWIS caused “demand for payment” letters to be mailed to victims.  When his demands were ignored, LEWIS filed fraudulent liens against personal real property of the victims and sent additional demands for payment stating that the liens would not be removed until payment was received. 

LEWIS faces a maximum penalty, as to each count, of twenty (20) years imprisonment, followed by a three (3) year term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.  Judge Barbier set sentencing for October 13, 2016.

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory M. Kennedy and Jonathan L. Shih were in charge of the prosecution.

 

Updated June 21, 2016

Topic
Financial Fraud