HONOLULU, HI – Paul Henri Marie Harleman, 35, of Honolulu, has confessed to a brazen $1.2 million scheme to fleece his clients through wire fraud and money laundering. Harleman, already locked up since April 23, 2021, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson, facing a potential lifetime of regret – and potentially, a lengthy prison sentence.
Court records detail a two-pronged attack on Harleman’s unsuspecting clients. From July 2018 to May 2020, he created a shell company with a name eerily similar to a major vendor for one client. He then proceeded to bill the client’s credit card over $146,000 in bogus invoices. Not content with that, from September 2019 until his arrest, Harleman siphoned off over $1,064,000 from two other clients, disguising the transfers as payroll expenses funneled through his fraudulent LLC.
The feds say Harleman didn’t just stop at stealing. He then moved the ill-gotten gains from his personal checking account into a personal investment account – a classic money laundering maneuver designed to conceal the source of the funds. U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors minced no words, stating the case stemmed from a “concerted effort” to prosecute financial crimes, and that Harleman “intentionally defrauded his clients” and attempted to cover his tracks.
“Finances play such an integral part to our wellbeing,” said Bret Kressin, Special Agent in Charge for IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “We place our utmost trust in accountants…When these individuals betray that trust, hardworking individuals and whole communities suffer.” John F. Tobon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Honolulu, echoed the sentiment, calling Harleman’s actions “heartless” and a theft from small businesses and non-profits.
Harleman’s guilty plea opens the door to a potential 20-year sentence for each of the six wire fraud counts and up to 10 years for each of the eight money laundering counts. He also faces fines of up to $250,000 per count, plus a supervised release period of up to three years. The judge will also order restitution to the victims and the forfeiture of any assets acquired through the fraud. The investigation was a joint effort by IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Secret Service.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig S. Nolan as part of the United States Attorney’s Financial Crimes Task Force – a dedicated unit focused on combating financial crimes targeting residents, businesses, and non-profits in Hawaii. The task force brings together federal resources, signaling a clear message: those who prey on the financial security of others will be pursued relentlessly.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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