Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
James Henley, a 35-year-old resident of Greenwood, Indiana, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison following his guilty plea to multiple charges including aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. His sentence also includes three years of supervised release and an order to pay restitution amounting to $1,887,426.63.
Court documents reveal that Henley orchestrated several large-scale fraud schemes over three years, resulting in nearly $3 million in losses affecting individual homeowners, an attorney in Indiana, a bank, and ten state governments. To facilitate these fraudulent activities, Henley registered five fake businesses with the states of Indiana and Kentucky.
Henley's criminal activities included COVID-19 fraud where he exploited stolen personal information to submit unemployment insurance applications across ten states during the pandemic. He collaborated with his wife Jameka Henley and associate Jimmie Bickers for this scheme. The fraudulent claims resulted in over $1 million being disbursed through unemployment benefits.
Additionally, between December 2021 and May 2023, Henley committed home title fraud by filing false deeds for five Indianapolis homes without the owners' knowledge or consent. This allowed him to sell these properties for substantial profits.
In November 2021, Henley engaged in mortgage fraud by manipulating property records related to a home purchased using a bank loan. He later sold this property for $255,000 without settling the original mortgage.
Henley's criminal conduct extended to auto loan fraud as well. In March 2023, he purchased vehicles using loans from Everwise Credit Union and made unauthorized payments from an attorney's Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA).
Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress remarked on Henley's complex schemes that targeted families and government programs: "James Henley went to great lengths to coordinate exceptionally greedy...schemes that exploited hard-working families." Megan Howell from the U.S. Department of Labor emphasized their commitment against such exploitation: "We...are committed to protecting the integrity of the UI system."
Ramsey E. Covington from IRS Criminal Investigation stated that financial criminals would face justice: “This lengthy prison sentence sends a clear message...” Herbert J. Stapleton from FBI Indianapolis highlighted ongoing efforts against repeat offenders: "The FBI...will continue to hold those who perpetuate such offenses accountable."
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation Unit with assistance from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office Homeowner Protection Unit.
