Hugo Ricardo Huacuz, Wire Fraud, Missouri 2023

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A former official with the Taney County Health Department pleaded guilty in federal court today to a scheme to embezzle approximately $260,000 from the agency.

Hugo Ricardo Huacuz, 51, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to a five-count federal information. Huacuz pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, two counts of stealing federal funds, one count of money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Huacuz was the chief operating officer and the chief financial officer of the Taney County Health Department until he resigned on November 14, 2023. Huacuz had been employed by the health department since 2011.

By pleading guilty today, Huacuz admitted that he stole from the Taney County Health Department in a scheme that lasted from March 23, 2022, to November 14, 2023. Huacuz caused the health department to write checks to Argon Investments, LLC, a company organized by Huacuz and his wife. Huacuz forged the signatures of health department members, using their identities without their permission.

Huacuz caused the health department to issue 15 checks totaling approximately $259,000, which were deposited into the bank account of Argon Investments. Huacuz used the stolen funds for personal expenses charged to his personal credit card, including automobile insurance, maintenance, repair and parts; restaurants; home construction items; gasoline; airline tickets and travel, including to Chicago, Illinois, New York State, San Diego, California, College Station, Texas, Nashville, Tennessee, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Portland, Oregon; utilities; dry cleaning; clothing; dental and medical care; and payments to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office for Argon’s LLC fees.

Health board members were not aware of the existence of Argon Investments or that any checks had been issued to Argon Investments. In order to conceal his scheme from the board, Huacuz caused these checks to be coded as payments to Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., a multinational pharmaceutical company. Huacuz falsely reported to the health department’s board that some of the checks written to Argon Investments were for items purchased from Sanofi, and created false invoices from Sanofi purportedly for the purchase of pharmaceutical and medical items, including COVID-19 testing kits.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Huacuz agrees that he embezzled at least $258,976 and, at the very least, this amount is subject to forfeiture and restitution. The government will recommend a sentence of no more than four years and six months in federal prison without parole while Huacuz will seek a sentence of three years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI.

The defendant/respondent is Hugo Ricardo Huacuz, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud, stealing federal funds, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/former-taney-county-official-pleads-guilty-stealing-260000