Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
Two men have been sentenced for their roles in a scheme that defrauded the Alabama River Cellulose plant (ARC) in Monroe County, Alabama, of nearly $1.3 million over a six-month period between 2023 and 2024.
Dustin Cole Mosley, 40, and Jason Robert Riel, 41, both college friends, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to federal prosecutors, the two set up a fake safety services and supplies company that billed ARC for services and supplies that were never provided. Mosley was employed as ARC’s Safety Manager and used his position to approve more than 20 fraudulent invoices from the shell company run by Riel. The proceeds were split between them.
Mosley was sentenced to 18 months in prison while Riel received one year and one day. Both men were ordered to pay restitution. Mosley's sentence was longer due to what the court described as a violation of a position of trust.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello commented on the case: “Financial crimes leave paper trails that we and our investigative partners—here, the FBI—can and do follow. It’s only a matter of time before they are caught. Whatever short-term monetary benefit they received evaporates, replaced by prison time, and repayment of the money they stole.” He added: “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who victimizes businesses to line their own pockets.”
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Mobile Division. Special Agent in Charge Sara Jones said: “The FBI is committed to investigating those who exploit the American people for financial gain and seeing through the prosecution of those individuals. These sentences are another example of our collaborative efforts to combat criminal activity in conjunction with our partner agencies. The hard work of our agents and professional staff, along with a dedicated United States Attorney’s Office, assures that these criminals will not go unpunished for their actions.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex F. Lankford IV prosecuted the case.
