Illinois Man Sentenced for Defrauding Foreign Investor of $500,000

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Thomas A. Kopec, 48, of New Lenox, Illinois, was sentenced today to 25 months in prison for wire fraud for cheating a Panamanian investor out of $500,000. Kopec was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $500,000 in restitution.

Kopec pleaded guilty on Dec. 11, 2015. According to court documents, Kopec admitted to soliciting $500,000 from the victim for a purported investment vehicle for purchasing securities and acquiring a bank.  Kopec took steps in pursuing the purported investment in order to lull the victim into thinking the investment was proceeding as planned.  In truth, Kopec misappropriated the moneys and spent them on personal and other expenses at retail establishments including Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and the Apple Store.  Kopec started the scheme in Illinois, but relocated it to the Eastern District of Virginia, and caused the issuance of interstate wires originating in the Eastern District of Virginia in order to obtain and misappropriate the victim’s money.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kosta S. Stojilkovic prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-204.