PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Blair County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of tax evasion and wire fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The 23-count indictment named Patrick S. LaMarsh as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, LaMarsh defrauded TracFone and Walmart by selling fraudulently obtained Straight Talk airtime cards on Amazon.com.
The law provides for a total sentence of five years imprisonment for each count of conviction for tax evasion, and 20 years imprisonment for each count of conviction for wire fraud, a fine of $4,750,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and United States Secret Service conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
