Former Corporate Controller for DePere Business Convicted of Wire Fraud

United States Attorney James L. Santelle for the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced today that Ryan P. Homa (age 38), of Green Bay, pled guilty on June 27, 2012, to an information charging him with seven counts of wire fraud relative to his former employment at DePere-based Robinson Metals Inc. Homa faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine as to each count. Homa pled guilty pursuant to a written plea agreement and will be sentenced on September 18, 2012, before District Court Judge William C. Griesbach.

As set forth in the information, Homa was employed as the controller for Robinson Metals when he engaged in a scheme to defraud the company of over $1.27 million between December 2007 and September 2011. Homa executed the wire fraud scheme by illegally writing over 130 checks, drawn on Robinson Metal’s bank accounts, and depositing those checks into a personal bank account that Homa created under the name of a fictitious business. Once the checks were deposited, Homa used the embezzled funds to buy real estate, build a home, buy personal property, and to fund other personal accounts. Homa concealed his activity from Robinson Metals through various means, including false entries into corporate books and false statements to corporate officers.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Green Bay Office and is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Green Bay Division.