Former Jacksonville Jaguars Executive Sentenced for Wire Fraud

Mail and wire fraud are two of the most common federal white collar criminal charges a person can face in South Florida. These crimes involve the use of a physical or electronic communications system to defraud another person. In many cases, mail fraud or wire fraud serves as an “add-on” charge with other white collar crimes, such as bank fraud or money laundering.

Judge Imposes 78-Month Sentence After Defendant Admits Stealing Over $22 Million

Mail fraud and wire fraud are not slap-on-the-wrist offenses. Under federal law a single conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. While in practice most defendants convicted of these crimes receive far less than the maximum, it is not uncommon for judges to hand down multi-year sentences depending on the extent of the fraud.

For example, a federal judge in Jacksonville recently imposed a six-and-a-half year sentence against a defendant who pleaded guilty to wire fraud. This particular case, United States v. Adams, involves a former executive of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. According to the United States Attorney’s Office, the defendant “operated a fraud scheme through which he embezzled approximately $22,221,454 from the Jaguars.”

To be more precise, the defendant oversaw the Jaguars’ corporate credit card program. He abused this position by making “hundreds of purchases and transactions with no legitimate business purpose.” He then created fraudulent accounting records to cover-up his actions and emailed them to the team’s accounting department. The act of sending those emails constituted wire fraud, according to the United States Attorney.

The defendant elected to plead guilty rather than go to trial. In federal criminal cases, judges consult a series of sentencing guidelines before imposing a final sentence. These guidelines are not mandatory. Rather, they use a number of factors to recommend a range of potential sentences. A judge may depart upward or downward from this range depending on the specifics of a given case.

In this case, the guidelines advised a sentencing range of between 78 and 97 months. The United States Attorney asked for a sentence of 84 months, or 7 years in prison. The defense sought leniency and asked the judge for a sentence of either probation or no more than 1 year in prison.

Ultimately, the judge opted to sentence the defendant to 78 months, which was at the low end of the sentencing guidelines range. In addition to prison time, the defendant must also pay full restitution for the Jaguars for the money he took and attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

Contact a Miami Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

White collar crimes like wire fraud may not involve the use of violence. But that does not mean federal prosecutors take such allegations less seriously. So if you need legal advice from a qualified Miami criminal defense attorney, contact Asilia Law Firm today to schedule an initial consultation with a member of our team.

Source:

justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/former-jacksonville-jaguars-employee-sentenced-more-six-years-embezzling-excess-22