Michael Bartusek, Fraud, Money Laundering and Tax Offenses, New York 2021
A Rochester-area man has pleaded guilty to a string of financial crimes including fraud, money laundering, and tax offenses.
A 58-year-old Fairport, New York resident, Michael Bartusek, admitted to defrauding his employer of approximately $776,000, which he invested in a high-risk diamond scheme.
The scheme, which Bartusek operated from the summer of 2015 to the end of 2016, involved soliciting investments for a company called Integra Diamonds by making materially false and fraudulent representations to recover investment funds that had been lost.
In addition to the fraud charges, Bartusek also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return for tax year 2015, underreporting his total income by approximately $123,000, and underreporting his total income for the 2016 tax year by approximately $46,000.
Bartusek faces up to 20 years in prison on the fraud conviction, 10 years in prison on the money laundering conviction, and 3 years in prison on the tax conviction.
The judge could also impose a term of supervised release of up to three years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $946,000.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
The investigation led to the recovery of some of the stolen money, but the exact amount has not been disclosed.
Bartusek's sentencing is set for July 28, 2021, before Senior United States District Court Judge Thomas J. McAvoy.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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