Denver’s Benedict T. Palen Jr., 63, has been handed a harsh judgment for his systematic mail fraud, according to the United States Attorney’s Office in Nebraska.
In a stunning turn of events, Palen was sentenced by Judge Robert F. Rossiter on May 5, 2017, to five years’ probation for his fraudulent activities. He must also complete 200 hours of community service and cough up $2,500 in unpaid restitution.
Palen’s deceptions began in September 2012 when he sold a John Deere tractor to a Nebraska buyer, falsely claiming it was free of liens. He pocketed a down payment of $20,000, but the truth emerged: there was a bank lien against the tractor and Palen had previously sold the same machine to another party.
When the Holdrege buyer demanded his money back, Palen made further deceitful moves, selling the same tractor again and pocketing another $25,000 down payment from a North Dakota individual. The investigation revealed that this was just the tip of the iceberg as the same tractor had been sold before by Palen under a different guise.
Adding insult to injury, in 2013, Palen sold yet another John Deere tractor to a Bertrand, Nebraska buyer, failing to deliver and taking an upfront payment. This time, the deceit was once again with a tractor he had previously sold to a Florida company through his previous role as vice-president of Pull Pans, Inc.
Investigation into Palen’s fraudulent scheme was led by the Postal Inspection Service, who remain committed to protecting the integrity of the US Mail. ‘The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to protect the integrity of the US Mail and aggressively investigate individuals such as Benedict Palen,’ said Inspector Craig Goldberg. ‘We want the public to know that Postal Inspectors will aggressively pursue anyone who attempts to use the Postal Service to facilitate such frauds and we will not allow the US Mail to be used to commit crimes.’
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Key Facts
- State: Nebraska
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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