ROCHESTER, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury in Rochester has returned a three-count indictment charging Brian Leonard, 44, and his wife, Nancy Cedeno, 44, both of Rochester, N.Y., of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. The charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa J. Miller, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, the defendants used online, e-commerce sites, including eBay.com and Amazon.com, to sell stolen merchandise to unwitting buyers. Leonard and Cedeno are accused of using their business, Rochester Consignment Broker, a consignment business in Rochester, to purchase goods and merchandise that they knew to be stolen. The couple then advertised and sold or attempted to sell the items to buyers online, all while falsely representing that they had lawful ownership of the goods.
The indictment is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and members of the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
