South Carolina Man Sentenced for Fraud and Money Laundering

St. Louis, MO – Daniel Stimmel, 52, of Goose Creek, South Carolina, was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment and ordered to pay more than $4,000,000 in restitution for running a car theft scheme while employed as a fleet manager of Emerson Network Power (ENP) of Columbus, Ohio, from 2003 to 2016.  ENP, now known as Vertiv, was formerly an operating subsidiary of Emerson Electric Company and became an independent entity after Stimmel’s scheme concluded.

Stimmel admitted in his 2017 plea agreement that he diverted hundreds of cars from the fleet management contract between ENP and two different fleet management companies through the use of fraudulent paperwork and straw parties until a car could be sold and titled in the name of a third-party buyer.  The proceeds of these sales, which were hidden from ENP, were usually returned to Stimmel in cash.

Stimmel used the proceeds of his scheme to acquire real estate and pursue his interest in motor sports.  As a part of the investigation, the St. Louis Division of the FBI, the St. Louis Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Marshals Service for the Southern District of Ohio, forfeited numerous automobiles, motorcycles, a boat and a luxury automotive storage facility in Plain City, Ohio.

Tom Albus handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.