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Press Release

Naples Man Indicted for Additional Million Dollar Fraud

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of a superseding indictment charging Jeffrey Ihm (47, Naples) with 14 counts of wire fraud and 5 counts of aggravated identity theft. Each wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. In addition, he faces a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment for each aggravated identity theft offense, to be served consecutively to any wire fraud conviction. The indictment also notifies Ihm that the government intends to forfeit $315,000 that has been seized from a Suncoast Credit Union checking account, in addition to a house in Naples that is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses. The United States is also seeking a money judgment in the amount of $2,297,664.74, representing the alleged proceeds of the fraud scheme.

According to the superseding indictment, Ihm assumed the identities of and posed as executives of a number of companies, including Roper Industries, Inc., Kinetic Technologies, LLC, CSX Corporation, and Convergence Consulting Group, Inc. He then generated false and fraudulent emails and other documents in the names of the companies’ executives in order to defraud Wells Fargo Bank, CIT Group, and Key Bank, causing those financial institutions to transfer to him $2,297,664.74 to which he was not entitled.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Economic Crimes Unit of the Collier County Sherriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David G. Lazarus and Dale R. Campion.

Updated February 5, 2015