Michigan Woman Sentenced for Role in International Wire Fraud Scheme

Michigan Woman Sentenced for Role in International Wire Fraud Scheme

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A 25-year-old Michigan woman has been sentenced to eight months of home detention and three years of probation for her role in an international wire fraud scheme.

Renee Britton, of Taylor, Michigan, was convicted of wire fraud for her participation in the scheme, which targeted victims who applied for loans over the internet with seemingly legitimate financial lenders. The lenders were actually virtual companies being operated by scammers in Canada.

Britton was ordered to pay up to $26,736.95 in restitution to victims of the scheme, who were led to believe that once they paid an up-front fee to Britton and others, they would receive the loan proceeds. In reality, the victims never received the loans or a refund of their payments.

To date, defrauded victims have lost more than $3.5 million to the loan scheme, and approximately 2,700 victims of the fraud have been identified by law enforcement. In total, 21 individuals have been arrested in connection with this fraud scheme, and the cases are pending before the U.S. District Court in Buffalo.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge, James C. Spero.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Fauzia K. Mattingly, who handled the case, stated that Britton received payments from victims who had applied for loans over the Internet, only to be scammed out of their money. The victims were led to believe that once they paid an up-front fee to Britton and others, they would receive the loan proceeds.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge William M. Skretny sentenced Britton to eight months of home detention and three years of probation, in addition to ordering her to pay restitution to the victims of the scheme. This sentence serves as a warning to others who would engage in similar schemes, and highlights the importance of law enforcement’s efforts to protect victims of financial crimes.

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