Saratoga Fraudster Vandermark Sentenced to Probation

ALBANY, NEW YORK — Christopher L. Vandermark, 57, once a Gansevoort resident now living in Endicott, has been sentenced to five years of probation for his role in a money laundering conspiracy.

The former Saratoga County resident pleaded guilty to using the proceeds from a multi-state unemployment insurance fraud scheme to open multiple accounts and buy gift cards. Vandermark’s actions, spanning June 2020 to early April 2021, resulted in over $88,000 being funneled through his accounts.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and John Pias of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Detroit Field Office announced the sentencing. Vandermark admitted to corresponding with a co-conspirator who posed as a woman in North Carolina, directing him to open new accounts and provide routing details for existing ones.

Despite numerous warnings from financial institutions, Vandermark continued his fraudulent activities. He even opened another account after being questioned by law enforcement about $37,000 in benefits, only to receive an additional $13,734 from three states later on.

Judge Gary L. Sharpe ordered Vandermark to pay $13,734 in restitution and forfeit the same amount of money as proceeds of his crime. The investigation was led by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Social Security Administration and New York State Comptroller.

The sentence comes amidst heightened efforts to combat pandemic-related fraud through the Attorney General’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force. Those with information about such fraud can report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via their Web Complaint Form.