Cary business owner Clare Thomas Anderson, 45, has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for conducting a three and a half year, multi-million dollar international wire fraud scheme.
On April 5, 2012, Anderson pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge in federal court. He was sentenced on [no date mentioned] by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala to 63 months in federal prison. Anderson will also serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison and pay restitution of $6,191,155 to the companies he victimized.
Anderson owned and operated multiple businesses in Cary, Illinois, and Florida, including Certifibre, LLC; Anderson International Global, LLC, which had an assumed name of Worldwide Paper Company, Inc.; American Surplus Supply; Southernmost Exports, LLC, Southernmost Holdings, LTD; and Sea Consulting, LLC. Through these businesses, Anderson contracted to sell wood pulp and other raw materials to manufacturers, brokers, and suppliers, which were usually located in foreign countries.
Anderson obtained payments from his customers before the shipments arrived at their destinations. He often obtained Letters of Credit from his customers’ banks in order to pay for the shipments in advance. Anderson admitted to creating and presenting fraudulent documents to his customers, which falsely represented the quantity and quality of materials that had been shipped.
Anderson further admitted to shipping worthless scrap material to his foreign customers instead of the agreed-upon wood pulp or other raw materials. When the customers called to complain, Anderson falsely told them that the scrap materials were intended for other customers in different countries.
Anderson’s scheme involved defrauding numerous customers out of millions of dollars. He often failed to pay his suppliers for the materials he had shipped, failed to pay freight shipping charges, and spent the fraudulently obtained funds on his personal expenses. On a few occasions, Anderson refunded some money to his victims in order to avoid detection of his scheme.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Verseman. The FBI’s Chicago Office investigated the case.
Defendant: Clare Thomas Anderson
Criminal Charges: Federal wire fraud charge
City and State: Cary, Illinois
Date: April 5, 2012 (plea date)
Sentence: 63 months in federal prison
Restitution: $6,191,155
Related Federal Cases
- GARY SOLOMON, Honest Services Wire Fraud, Illinois 2017 · Illinois
- Valentino Valeriu Agignoae, Wire Fraud, Illinois 2015 · Illinois
- Keith Wakefield, Securities Fraud & Wire Fraud, Illinois 2023 · Illinois
- Ralph Mandil, Theft of Trade Secrets and Wire Fraud, New Jersey 2016 · Florida
- David Odom, Wire Fraud, Maryland 2011 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
White Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar Crime