Denver – A Littleton, Colorado woman has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for orchestrating an elaborate oil investment fraud scheme that conned at least eight victims out of nearly $2 million.
Jill M. Evans, 51, was handed down a 84-month sentence by U.S. District Court Judge John L. Kane after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. Following her prison term, she faces an additional three years of supervised release. The court also ordered Evans to pay $2,094,500 in restitution.
Evans was indicted in May 2015 and confessed to her crimes on January 23, 2017. She was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals immediately following the hearing.
According to the indictment, from September 2011 to May 2015, Evans solicited investments for supposed oil transactions through Paramount Mortgage and Evcom. She claimed to have a contract with a Russian company for purchasing diesel oil and jet fuel. Investors were promised returns ranging from fifty percent to五十 times their original investment within days or weeks.
Evans assured investors that their money would be held in an escrow account, refundable if the deal failed to close. However, instead of using the funds as promised, she funneled them into her personal bank accounts. She forged emails from a major law firm and sent fake wire confirmations to conceal how she was spending the money.
Evans concealed her own criminal history from investors, including an earlier conviction for theft and forgery. Despite being prohibited by bond conditions from engaging in financial transactions over $1,000, Evans continued to operate her fraudulent scheme.
“This is long-term, deliberate, professional stealing,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer commented on the case. “Our prosecutors and FBI agents have successfully taken down another thief who preyed upon innocent victims.” IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Steven Osborne echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of forensic accounting skills in combating white collar crime.
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Key Facts
- State: Colorado
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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