Prosecutors: Naples Man Indicted For Million-Dollar Internet Fraud Scheme

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is republishing this press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida:

FORT MYERS – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Jeffrey Ihm (47, Naples) with multiple counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Each wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. In addition, he faces a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment for each aggravated identity theft offense, to be served consecutively to any wire fraud conviction. The indictment also notifies Ihm that the United States is seeking a money judgment against him in the amount of $1,064,664.74, and intends to forfeit the house located at 3343 Pacific Drive, Naples, Florida, which are both alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the fraud.

According to the indictment, Ihm assumed the identities of and posed as three different Roper Industries, Inc. executives. He then generated false and fraudulent emails and other documents in the names of Roper Industries, Inc. and Kynetic Technologies, LLC to defraud Wells Fargo Bank, causing the bank to wire him $1,064,664.74 to which he was not entitled.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless,  and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Economic Crimes Unit of the Collier County Sherriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David G. Lazarus and Dale R. Campion.