Troy Clinton Van Sickle, Mail Fraud, Washington 2019

Table of Contents

Troy Clinton Van Sickle Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud

Troy Clinton Van Sickle, 48, a former Seattle resident who relocated to Laguna Niguel, California in the midst of his fraud scheme, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to mail fraud.

According to records filed in the case, between 2011 and 2014, Van Sickle fraudulently operated an asset recovery business in order to defraud unhappy investors who previously had lost money they had invested with a Bellevue investment company.

U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran announced the guilty plea. U.S. District Judge James L. Robart scheduled sentencing for September 30, 2019.

Van Sickle admitted to representing to the unhappy investors that he had a company, Troy C. Van Sickle Consulting and Collections, and that for a fee he could help them recover their lost funds. He falsely claimed that he had helped other investors recover large sums, and, in order to win investors’ trust, Van Sickle made various promises, including entering into a romantic relationship with one of the investors.

In February 2012, Van Sickle moved to California. After he moved, Van Sickle told the investors that if they loaned him $75,000, he would (1) use the money in order to recover their lost investment, and (2) repay the $75,000 in 30 days. In fact, Van Sickle planned to use the money for his own purposes, including paying his rent through the end of the year, and did not intend to repay the investors.

Mail fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Over the course of the scheme, Van Sickle fraudulently took in $75,000. Under the terms of the Plea Agreement, in addition to repaying the investors that $75,000, Van Sickle has agreed to repay the investors an additional $175,000 in fees that he received from the investors.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Arlen Storm and Andre Penalver.