Michael Conway, Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Scheme, New York 2024

Multi-Million Dollar Leasing Scam Unfolds in New York

A high-stakes game of deception has come to an end for Michael Conway, the President of Choice Office Solutions LLC (Choice Office), who was arrested earlier today on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to defraud an individual investor and De Lage Landen Financial Solutions Partner (DLLFSP) of approximately $3.5 million.

The arrest was announced by Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI). Conway's initial appearance is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak at the United States Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York.

According to the complaint unsealed this morning in Brooklyn federal court, from approximately March 2014 to August 2015, Conway forged lease agreements with various companies in the business of leasing office equipment, and then used these fraudulent agreements to obtain financing from private investors.

Conway induced an individual investor to become partners with him in the leasing business. He would then purportedly secure a lease from a company, present the signed lease and invoices to the individual investor, who would provide funds to purchase the office equipment to be leased. In this manner, Conway presented the individual investor with leases from approximately 58 companies, including law firms, universities, hospitals, and hotels, and the individual investor paid Conway approximately $3.1 million to purchase office equipment.

One of the fraudulent leasing agreements was purportedly with the New York Mets. Relying on it, the individual investor wire transferred approximately $500,000 to Conway's bank account ostensibly to purchase office equipment. Conway then used the same forged lease agreement, and a forged authorization letter from the New York Mets purportedly signed by Jeffrey Wilpon, the team's Chief Operating Officer, to obtain financing from DLLFSP. Based on these fraudulent documents, DLLFSP wire transferred a total of approximately $313,000 to Conway's bank account.

Conway faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 22 years if convicted. The government's case is being prosecuted by the Office's Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Winston Paes and Celia Cohen are in charge of the prosecution. The charges were brought in connection with the President's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/president-office-equipment-leasing-company-arrested-engaging-multi-million-dollar-fraud